Beneath the Mask
by Lucifer's Garden
Summary: Discontinued
1. The Throwbacks

I'm really sorry, you guys. Wow. I wish I could say something else.

The truth is that my inspiration for _Children of Light_ and _Beneath the Mask_ has completely dried up. Neither has, or ever had, a real clear plot direction. I have spent over a year trying to save them, because they are both really dear to me, but I am coming up with nothing each time. I've invested a lot of heart into these stories, even though I never knew exactly where they would end or how. I won't bore you all with a list of excuses as to why I'm so stuck, because frankly I don't think I have any.

I know this sounds pathetic and obsessive of me, but I have spent the last few hours just lying awake in bed pondering how on earth I was going to break this news to you. Just take this a proof that my readers do mean a lot to me, and I hate that I have to disappoint them like this. I know how aggravating it is when one of my favourite authors suddenly drops a story that I like, and I never thought I'd end up doing the same thing to you guys. It sucks, and all I can do is say how sorry I am, and how hard it is for me to write this.

That's not to say I'm leaving fanfiction. Au contraire! I do have ideas for other stories, other FFX ones and maybe somewhere down the road a Harry Potter fic. But I can't allow myself to publish anything without making it clear to you all that I am 99 certain that COL and BTM are to remain incomplete. I wish I could say that this leaves room for a chance that I will pick them up again somewhere down the road, but my gut feeling is that I won't. I will leave them posted so that whomever chooses to can still read them from time to time. Someday, if and when I post new stories (we can be confident that it will happen at some point), I promise to put more thought into them and make them worth reading.

In closing, I offer my deepest apologies, and I hope that you will understand.

Sincerely,

Lucifer's Garden

NOTE: I will only say this once . . . I do not own FFX (2) or its characters/story/elements, I simply exploit them for my amusement and yours as well. FFX (2) and everything in it belongs to Square Enix.

Oh my, a high school fic? Well, THAT'S never been done before! Okay, so I know the whole school thing is dangerously overused, but if you told me to my face that you didn't like it I would call you a dirty liar because you secretly do. Don't deny it! Anyway, this is a Tidus/Yuna story taking place in Bevelle, and I'm including the other characters from FFX and from FFX2. I'm rating it PG13 for language and some adult themes just to be safe. This will alternate between both Yuna and Tidus' point of view. I just might add a bit of other pairings too, possibly Rikku/Gippal, Paine/Baralai, or something, but review and tell me first if you would like more couples.

Summary: Tidus is the ringleader of a fierce gang, and upholds his reputation as someone not to be messed with. But nobody, not even his close friends/gang members, actually knows just how Tidus really feels about life and what he wants . . . until he meets Yuna, the new girl with hidden pain of her own. Yuna, who has never met someone with Tidus' spirit, is immediately fascinated by him and feels that there is more to him than meets the eye. What will she find beneath his tough exterior? What will Tidus discover under her façade of perfection?

Enjoy!

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TIDUS

The Throwbacks. Somehow that's the name everyone seemed to agree on. It's not like we have the name sewn onto the backs of our jackets, or matching signature tattoos or anything stupid like that. It wasn't official to us. In fact, we aren't even the ones who decided on the name. People just started to call us that, and it stuck with us. I guess you can say they're right; we are considered the throwbacks of society, the good-for-nothings, the punks, the outcasts, the 'mislead', the bad lot, the wrong crowd . . . you get the picture.

Even the teachers don't like walking past us in the halls, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't have a lot of fun being pains in the ass. We like to make scenes, shake things up a bit, go a little nuts. Somebody's gotta make life interesting, right? Outside of school, people cross the street to avoid us, especially if we look like we're in a rowdy mood.

I'm not sure who decided I would be in charge. It was sort of a unanimous thing. There's really no such thing as a 'captain' in the gang. Everybody is their own person, basically, and we don't actually give or take orders. But we need someone for guidance, and all of us know that. When Chappu, or old 'leader', was killed last year, the gang just sort of looked to me for direction. I couldn't turn down the position. I know these kids too well. If nobody stepped up to take control, then we'd fall apart or end up doing something stupid like get caught up with the police. Where we come from, all we have is each other, and we can't afford to not get along. It's stick together or be stranded alone with no protection. None of us want to admit it, but we all depend on each other for more than just friendship.

Chappu had been a good leader. He was gentler than the rest of us, and since we liked him so much we had no problem backing down when he told us off. He was never forceful, but he didn't need to be. He got his message across loud and clear without ever raising a fist. He was the kind of guy who would help an old lady with her groceries if he saw that she was having trouble. He'd dive in the middle of a busy highway to rescue a puppy from getting run over. When he was shot last year, we all missed him awfully. He was our rock, and the group has never been the same since then. It's not easy to fill in for him, but I always remember that he tried to bring out the best of us and make us feel like we were more than just street hoodlums. Sometimes I get the feeling that I'll never be as good as he was. I feel like I can never be as strong for the gang as he could be.

Wakka is the oldest one in the group, and also the slowest. He's nineteen, tall, heavy, muscular, and sports the weirdest hairstyle you can imagine. It continues to defy gravity in the weirdest way, and I still haven't figured out how he manages to make it do that. He loves nothing more than to cause trouble, and he is quite good at it. I have a habit of saying that he is trouble-prone, and I'm not far from the truth. He's a pretty decent guy though, once you get past that idiot surface. He's probably the most loyal person you'll ever meet. Surprisingly, he's a huge fan of blitzball and is a devoted follower of Yevon, but you'd never guess that last part just by looking at him. He used to be on a junior blitz team before he fell in with the 'bad crowd'. He was Chappu's older brother, and fiercely devoted to him. When he died, Wakka tried not to let it get him down, but he never really got rid of that sad lost look in his eye.

Lulu is our voice of reason, even though she is the most feared member of the gang. She's an eighteen year old black mage, and –everybody- knows it. She was Chappu's girl before he died, and I think his death hit her the hardest, probably even more than Wakka. She really loved him, and Chappu was crazy for her. I really thought they'd end up getting married and have a shitload of kids. Since it happened, she sort of became our 'head mistress', our Alpha female. When I'm not around, Lulu's pretty much in charge. But ever since Chappu's death, she's never been quite the same. She's colder and tougher, but at the same time she seems more vulnerable and lost. Lulu is tall and curvy with long jet black hair and ruby red eyes that could crack a stone in half with one look. She's obviously gorgeous, but intimidating with a capital I. Anyone with half a brain knows not to piss her off unless they want a million Firaga spells crashing down on their ass.

Rikku is the youngest of us, as we all like to remind her every now and then, but that does not mean that girl is any less frightening. Don't let her cute little girl build fool you, or her perky blonde hair and jade green eyes. When she's mad, she's dangerous. Rikku is a sixteen year old Al Bhed, and even though she's tiny, she's a vicious fighter with more tricks up her sleeve than anyone I know. Of course, when she's not mad she's really a total sweetheart with a wicked flirting streak. Rikku's definitely the most talented thief in the whole city. She could probably steal the stars out of the sky if she really wanted to. She's never been caught for stealing, but if she ever was, I don't doubt that she could sweet-talk her way out of any trouble. Since she dresses in a less-than-conservative way, guys are practically panting for her, and she enjoys every minute of it.

Gippal is my age, you will not meet a cockier, more arrogant little son of a bitch. He's an Al Bhed, like Rikku, but he picks on her constantly and never seems to get tired of pointing out everyone's faults. Even so, it's damn near impossible not to like the guy. He's a real charmer and he knows it. He has a way with women that most guys would die for. He's a mechanical genius and can hotwire a car in less time than it takes to scratch your ass. He keeps the good times rolling with his sense of humour which is more or less just him being a little jerk. People are scared of him just because his right eye is covered by a black pirate eye patch. Honestly though, Gippal's not a bad guy and comes in handy to have around. He's cool and street smart, and knows the whole city better than the back of his hand. He's loyal to the gang, and in any fight I wouldn't complain to have him guarding my back.

Paine is the strong silent type. She's Lulu's twin sister, and they share the same scarlet eyes and pale skin but nothing else physically. Paine's tough as nails, and I wouldn't be surprised if she took on any man and kicked his ass thoroughly, never once complaining about her own injuries. She is the ultimate tomboy and hates being called referred to as a 'girly girl'. We don't know much about what goes on in her head, but she's trustworthy and lives for a good fight. She has really pretty silver hair and a red glare that strikes most people stupid with nerves. Paine is sort of the glue that holds us together. When none of us can agree on something and even Lulu's words of wisdom aren't helping, Paine is usually the one that can calm things down. Just her being there is calming, sort of reassuring. Without her, we would have fallen apart many times, and we all have the utmost respect for her.

They are my gang, my friends, and my family. I would never in my life admit this to any of them (or anyone else for that matter), but each of them means a lot to me. I am who I am because they were there with me every step of the way, watching my back and picking me up when I fell down. I like to think that in some way, aside from being 'the leader', I've helped them all too.

0000000000000000

The street outside my apartment building is unusually quiet. I step outside into the grey morning light, mildly surprised that there are no gunshot echoes or the sound of angry voices shouting. I look around and see nothing but a piece of trash caught in an updraft, drifting down the dirty street. A homeless man is sleeping off the sidewalk across the street, holding a wine bottle loosely in his relaxed hand.

"Mornin', Boss," I hear a familiar voice drawl. I smirk and turn around to see Gippal heading towards me, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets. As usual, he's wearing his old brown jacket that has more holes than a minefield and a dark green bandana holding back his blonde bangs. His cigarette moves slightly when he talks, since he doesn't bother removing it before speaking. 'Boss' is a personal nickname the gang calls me. It's a joke, really, but in a way I kinda like it.

Every morning we all walk to school together, but I don't know why we even bother with it. It has been two weeks since school started up again, and none of us have been on time once. We don't take school seriously. I figure we see it as just another way to pass the time. In reality, almost all of us have been held back a grade at least once, not because we're stupid, but because we just didn't take our work seriously. Lulu's probably the only one who cares about her grades, and has a chance to make it to university, but she refuses to leave the gang. Actually, sometimes I enjoy school. I really like Art, even though I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a red-hot iron poker than confess it to anyone.

"Mornin', Patch," I reply, using his nickname. Gippal just lives down the street from me, in an equally shabby apartment building with his grandparents. The kind of place where the paint is peeling off the walls and most of the windows are broken, covered only by plastic stretched across the wood frame.

The two of us walk together down to Lulu and Paine's house, which is just around the corner. The girls live with their mom in a run down shack stuffed between a porn shop and an auto repair garage. As Gippal and I come around the corner we see them leaving their house to come meet us. Lulu is dressed in her typical black dress, a strange design she put together herself, and her hair his held back her usual cluster of braids. It's sexy on her, especially the skirt of belts. Lulu's unique like that. She can wear anything and make it look good. Paine is dressed in a tight dark grey t-shirt with a cool design on the chest and loose boys jeans that hide her legs. Over it all she is wearing a huge black hoody with the top half left open like she does everyday, even in the blistering heat. I've never seen her in a dress or anything feminine in my life, but she pulls off the tomboy look really well.

"You ladies are looking fabulous as usual," Gippal says as he drapes his arms around their shoulders. Paine only grunts to acknowledge his flirting, and Lulu just rolls her eyes and shrugs him off, coming up to walk beside me.

We talk for a few minutes about nothing in general before we meet up with Wakka and Rikku, who both live down the block from Lulu and Paine's house. Wakka lives with his parents in a ratty housing project, and Rikku lives with her dad and brother in a small duplex they share with a bitter old woman who owns about twenty-seven cats. The whole place always smells like cat piss, no matter where you go in it.

Rikku has a cigarette perched between her bright red lips. She and Gippal are the only two serious smokers, even though Wakka sometimes has a drag or two when he's really stressed out. As usual, Rikku's hair is up in a loose pony tail, and is dressed similarly to a street corner hooker. She has tight black thigh-high boots, a short red and black plaid skirt, and a red tube top that barely covers her entire chest. She winks at us as she approaches, and Wakka lifts his hand in a casual wave. He is wearing a black leather jacket, a white wife beater, and black jeans with holes in the knees.

"Are we this late every morning?" Lulu asks dryly, even though by the tone of her voice we can tell she already knows the answer.

"Duh," Wakka snorts. "It's just school, Lu. Nothing to get so uptight about, ya?"

"Yeah, but I think Shorty's getting sick of having detention every week," I say, referring to Rikku, and nudge her in the side. Her face scrunches up into a frown, partly from my comment, and partly from the old childish pet name.

"That creep Professor Kinoc is always trying to look down my shirt. That's the only reason why he keeps me in all the time," she says with an irritated sigh.

We are twenty minutes late by the time we finally reach CBH, Central Bevelle High. As far as schools go, it's actually pretty good. Kids from our area of town are really lucky to be able to go to it instead of one of the ghetto schools we used to attend. It's a public school, and all kinds of students go there, rich or poor. Me and the gang figured it was mostly a prep school, since over half the student body is full of airheads. Not that most of us are particular geniuses at school, but at least we aren't stupid. Except for Wakka, but he's more slow than stupid, even though he had to repeat the twelfth grade. It's pathetic to see the Jocks and the Princesses strutting around like they own the damn place, treating us like the contents of a toilet.

We cut through the parking lot towards the front door when something bright catches my eye. I turn to my left and catch my breath. Rikku stops and grabs Gippal's arm, inhaling sharply. Gippal stares with his one good eye, a delighted grin spreading over his face.

We are facing the most beautiful silver Porsche I have ever laid eyes on in my life. It gleams in the sunlight like an angel's halo, just begging us to come over and say hi. Even Paine and Lulu, who aren't normally interested in cars, look intrigued. Wakka is shaking his head in wonder.

"Oh, dudes . . ." Gippal says excitedly, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Imaging the horse power on this baby!"

"Check out the interior," Rikku pipes up, leaning in to peek through the sparkling windows. "Leather seats, CD changer AND fabulous speaker system, satellite navigator, DVD player . . . man, this shit is tight!"

"We gotta jack this thing," Gippal says bluntly, staring at me as if it were the only thing in the world left to do. I see the others look at me expectantly for a response and I feel my 'leadership' instincts stirring.

"No," I say finally, ignoring his crestfallen expression. "We can't do it in broad daylight. Anyone could be watching."

"Aw, come on, Boss!" Rikku pleads, grasping my hand. "Gippal and I can do it in less than a minute! Let us do it, please? PLEASE?"

"Cut it out, Rikku," I say firmly, shaking her off. "I said no. I don't want you doing it period, anyway. If you get caught, the cops could trace you back to us and bring us all down with you. I'm not going to risk it, we're in enough shit with the police already. Just let it go, all right?"

Both Rikku and Gippal stare at me in disbelief, like I had hit them or something. Rikku looks like she wants to scream at me, and Gippal looks like he wants nothing more than to punch my lights out. But I could take either one of them easily, and they knew it. My word was final.

We leave the Porsche eventually, and I pay no attention to the yearning looks in Rikku, Gippal, and Wakka's faces. I know they'll get over it before the day is over.

Inside the building we go to our lockers, which are all conveniently placed close to each other in the same hallway. Laughing and talking loudly, we split up and head to our classes. I am the only one who has to go to a class by myself this morning, and with a sigh I make my way down to Spiran History. Yay.

As I push the door open, Professor Maechan squints up at me with his beady little eyes and then stares at me warily.

"So glad you chose to join us, Mr. Lorac," he says sternly. I salute him with one casual finger and stroll over to my desk, rolling my eyes as he tells me to see him after school for detention. Why does he bother anymore? He knows I won't show up. A young mousey-haired girl named Shelinda is staring at me nervously. She's scared shitless of me, ever since the gang and I cornered her and I stole some of her money, the way regular bullies are 'supposed' to. I leer at her and she flinches, looking away sharply. I snicker at her and head to my desk, pleased with myself.

Across the room from me I see a pair of dark brown eyes staring at me. I turn my head and end up looking directly at Dona Calisto, a tall exotic looking girl with sultry lips and legs that go on for miles. She's the most popular girl at school simply because she's kind of a slut. Dona winks at me and smiles, and I raise an eyebrow carelessly in response. I dated her once, and we slept together a few times, but she got too clingy and wanted a relationship, when all I wanted was a good lay. So, I dumped her, and she's been trying to win me back ever since. But I don't trust her. As soon as she lets me sleep with her again, I know she'll try to be my 'significant other'. She can have any pick of the litter around here, so I don't know why she wastes her time begging me to come back. As far as I'm concerned, Dona can go throw herself in front of traffic.

I have a long string of girlfriends behind me, but never anything serious. They were all just three week long flings that never went anywhere beyond a good ride in the sack. At the moment I'm single, but I always keep a sharp eye out for new prey.

Speaking of which . . .

The door opens suddenly and somebody new steps in uncertainly. Everyone looks to the door, including me after I tore my gaze away from Dona. I find myself staring into a pair of bicoloured blue and green eyes. I blink in surprise and realize that I am looking at a girl I've never seen before.

"Professor Maechan?" she says quietly to the old man up at the front. "I'm Yuna Ressan. I transferred here from WB Prep, and the secretary sent me to this classroom."

"Ah, yes, Miss Ressan, such an honour! I am so very pleased to have the daughter of Lord Braska Ressan in my very class. Kindly take your seat over there behind Miss Ferguson in the back. Welcome to CBH," Maechan says cheerfully, gesturing to a girl named Elma who sits right next to me. A surprised murmur ripples around the room at the mention of Lord Ressan.

I stare at this Yuna girl, who is smiling politely but shyly at us. WB Prep? As in West Bevelle Prep? The richest, snobbiest private school in the whole city? And her father is Lord Braska, the former High Summoner that defeated Sin twenty years ago! I don't think CBH has ever had a famous celebrity's kid attend the school, none other than the High Summoner's.

She's kinda hot, I have to admit, in a humble sort of way. I watch with fascination as her brown hair shines in the light pouring in from the window, the way her light skin looks like it's glowing. Her hips sway as she walks, clueless as to how attractive they are, and her legs look smooth and sleek. I notice her clothing, which is far from designer material. She doesn't dress like a millionaire; knee-length flower pattern skirt that hugs her figure, white blouse with the top half left open to reveal a dark purple tank top underneath, silver charm bracelet, white tennis shoes . . . she looks more like a librarian than a summoner's daughter. Even so, nearly every pair of male eyes are examining her just as closely as I am while she walks down the aisle.

Everyone stares at her as she makes her way to her desk, which is quite close to me in the back. She hugs her books to her chest and keeps her pretty eyes down to the floor, obviously uncomfortable under everyone's curiosity. Strangely, I want her to look back at me so that I can have a closer look at those mismatched eyes.

As if reading my thoughts, she suddenly lifts her face up and stares directly at me. Her eyes locked onto mine, and for just a moment it held. I don't even blink, but before I can control myself I grin at her. Are my eyes are playing tricks on me, or did I just see the faint trace of a smile on her lips? But the moment ended soon. Too soon, in my opinion. She looks away once again as she takes her seat and opens her books.

Even though she doesn't look back in my direction, I find that Spiran History has just become much more interesting.


	2. Dangerous Boy

YUNA  
  
The aisle seems endless to me as I slowly make my way towards me desk. I can feel many pairs of eyes on me, but I am too scared to look up at anyone. I remember what my first day of kindergarten had been like, how frightening it had been. Somehow this feels much, much worse.  
  
This morning before I arrived here at CBH I tried to think back to all my good memories of WB Prep, all the great things I would be leaving behind. But nothing came. I had no close friends to miss, no wonderful classes to learn from. It is very boring, dry, monotone school where everyone acts as if they owned the world. That place is not for me. So I pleaded with my father to let me switch schools, and to make me shut up he consented. I wanted to go to a public school. I wanted to start over, meet new people in a different atmosphere. I was tired of being surrounded by aristocrats, and wanted to be around normal teenagers. In spite of who my father is, I cannot think of myself as anything but ordinary.  
  
Now I am mentally kicking myself for it. Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut? I would give anything to go back and be the same old nobody back at the Prep than be this stranger to be gawked at. I live my life in the public eye because father is the great High Summoner Braska, Vanquisher of Sin, yet this silent judgement from my own peers is entirely new to me. I was ordinary back at WB Prep. Nobody cared a great deal about who my father was, and I was forced to fade into the background where nobody would stare at me as if I was a circus creature. But these strangers are waiting for me to trip and fall. They are waiting for me to stumble and miss my seat. I clutch my books tightly for fear of making a mistake.  
  
And then I feel something new. A certain set of eyes that are so intense on me that I cannot help but look up to meet them. I am suddenly lost in the depths of the most beautiful cobalt blue eyes I've ever seen. They are infinite and passionate, but dark and mysterious.  
  
The young man they belong to is no less breathtaking. His unruly flaxen hair is brilliant in the sunlight, and his skin is bronze and pulled over taut athletic muscles. His sudden grin is recklessly charming. I am certain many girls have had their hearts melted by that same flash of pearly white teeth. His clothes are dingy third-class material, but surprisingly attractive on him. His faded blue jeans are full of rips and holes at the knees and hems, with several chains dangling at the pockets. He is wearing a tight black muscle shirt and a blue denim vest that looks as if it has lived many years past its prime. His runners were once obviously white, but are now grimy and grey with dirty tattered laces. I sense an undertone of wildness in him, and I feel a thrilled rush inside. This boy is dangerous, but so beautiful, so effortlessly seductive.  
  
I swallow and offer him a quick tentative smile of my own, but I cannot bear the force of his gaze anymore. I look away and keep my eyes away from him, trying to focus on Professor Maechan's lesson.  
  
It is so hard for me to fight the temptation to throw him one quick glance, but somehow I manage to do so.  
  
"Well, now that our latest addition has had her seat, let us continue," Professor Maechan says, beaming at me over his spectacles. "So, who among you can tell me what the first form of currency in Spira was? Master Lorac?"  
  
I look around to see who the teacher is addressing, and I notice that everyone has their eyes fixed on the blonde-haired boy that had been staring at me when I walked in. He is not paying any attention, and seems to be distracting himself by carving something on his desk with an unwound paper clip. I cannot help but smile at the look of deep concentration on his face.  
  
"Tidus!" Maechan barks, rapping his brittle knuckles on the wood of his desk. Tidus jumps with surprise and drops the paper clip. To hide his startled reaction, he quickly gives Professor Maechan a charming grin.  
  
"Yes, Professor?" he asks sweetly. Maechan narrows his squinty eyes.  
  
"Can you kindly tell me what the first form of Spiran currency was?" he demanded. I could see the wheels turning in Tidus' head, and I waited for his reply along with everyone else.  
  
"Chicks?" Tidus suggested indifferently. A few snickers rose up, but Tidus silenced them with a mere glance. Maechan sighed and shook his head.  
  
"I am afraid that is incorrect, Master Lorac, it was actually the trade of primary goods. I must ask you to pay close attention to my lessons from now on, understood?" he asked sternly.  
  
Before I can stop myself, I raise my hand in the air. Maechan's expression changes drastically from a look of discipline to a cheery smile.  
  
"Yes, Miss Ressan?" he asks me jovially. I glance quickly in Tidus' direction, noticing that he along with everyone else is staring intently at me.  
  
"Actually, professor, Ti- er, Master Lorac is quite correct to a certain degree. While the main financial system was the trade of primary goods, in many areas the ancient cultures did in fact use women chiefly for barter. They did not adopt the modern trade system until the Yevonite missionaries gained control in those regions several hundred years later." I speak quickly, for I am uncomfortable under so many eyes as I contradict the teacher, who stares at me obviously flustered. I feel Tidus' gaze piercingly, but I resist the urge to look back.  
  
The class drags on much slower than I ever imagined it could. As soon as the bell rings I jump up from my seat, books in my arms, and hurry out of the classroom. I pause long enough to smile at Professor Maechan's friendly comment,  
  
"Again, so lovely to have you with us, Miss Ressan! A true honour!"  
  
The rest of my day is uneventful, and I spend most of the break searching vainly for my locker. My back is sore from carrying my stuffed backpack to every class, but I am too late. The bell rings and I am forced to tote it around with me again.  
  
When my science class ends, I am praying that my last class will be more interesting, so that my day will have mounted to at least something good.  
  
The lunch hour arrives, and I am left with no place to sit to eat the huge meal that my father's maid Belgemine packed for me. I sigh and make my way outside to the parking lot, heading for my car. I figure it is just as well that I am not hungry. I rarely ever eat all of Belgemine's lunches anyway. She always packs so much that I am fit to burst half way through.  
  
Perhaps a drive will relax me. I must admit that I love driving my Porsche, and even though I don't know much about cars, but I am sinfully proud of it. It was a birthday present from last year, another of my father's attempts to distract me with shiny gifts so that I do not bother him for attention later. Thus far it has worked, because now I drive it almost whenever I can and I rarely even speak to him.  
  
When I reach the parking lot, I stop dead in my tracks. There is a group of people clustered around my beautiful silver car, touching it and peering through the windows. I feel a wave of indignant apprehension rise up in me, but I stride forward with clenched fists anyway. Perhaps they mean no harm. Perhaps they are just curious.  
  
"Excuse me," I say quietly, coming up behind them. I rue the squeaky noise my voice resembles. They whirl around to face me, and the one closest to me looks strikingly familiar.  
  
I inhale sharply as I find myself gazing back into those haunting blue eyes from this morning. It's Tidus all right. I recognize the golden hair and tanned flesh, even though his originally laid-back expression is now annoyed. But he then seems to realize who I am, because his irritated look is replaced by a look of cool confidence.  
  
"I'm sorry to disturb you," I continue, trying to tear my eyes from his, "but I'm taking my car for a drive." I am aware that the others are closing in behind me in a semicircle. I feel the hardness of their eyes on my back.  
  
Tidus stares at me for a moment.  
  
"This is your Porsche?" he asks, somewhat sceptically. I nod, momentarily distracted by the sound of his voice. It is smug and self-assured, but calm and full of expected authority.  
  
"Well then, beautiful, you won't mind if we take it for a spin later, do you?" I hear a different voice say. I turn to my left and see another young man with pale spiky blonde hair and a mysterious eye patch. His grin is mischievous and taunting. I swallow slightly. I know now that this is a group of people that live to cause trouble, and anything I say can somehow be twisted into the wrong meaning.  
  
Still, I know better than to show fear to the likes of him. I stand up straighter and lift my chin up stubbornly. After all, I am the daughter of the greatest summoner ever to walk Spira. I must not be bullied by such people.  
  
"I'm afraid not," I reply coolly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the blue-eyed boy Tidus cross his arms, still staring at me. I remember briefly the smile he gave me in the morning.  
  
"Aw, don't be like that! I'm sure you can share, ya?" I look to my right and see a giant red-headed athlete sneering at me, his voice full of mocking amusement. I turn and glare at Tidus almost accusingly, as if angry at him for not helping me stand up to these thugs.  
  
"I will ask you this once: Please step out of my way," I say in a low tone. I am slightly pleased to hear that my voice has taken on a new sound, one that is stronger and more in control. I can see the effect of it in their expressions. They obviously aren't expecting some spoiled millionaire princess to be so tough. Although, I really have no idea how I am to stand up to all six of them at the same time.  
  
"You might want to fix that little attitude, Princess," one of the girls says to me, a short blonde with sparkling green eyes that are narrowed threateningly.  
  
I am vastly aware that this situation is going from bad to worse. If I don't do or say something to save myself quickly, I may end up getting pounded into the ground. Or worse yet, have my Porsche stolen . . .  
  
"Look, I don't want trouble," I say with a sigh, holding my hands up. "I just want to go for a drive."  
  
"Sorry, babe, but it looks like you've found trouble," the eye patch boy says with a devious chuckle, gesturing towards the blonde girl.  
  
"What you think, Boss? In the mood for a good chick fight?" the red headed giant asks Tidus humorously, elbowing him in the side. I frown slightly. Boss?  
  
He regards me silently, a faintly superior smile on his lips. I swallow and force myself to stare back levelly. Then, he shrugs carelessly.  
  
"I say let them handle it their own way. I think this one's tougher than she looks," he says, giving me a grim half smile. I cannot help but feel a faint blush on my cheeks, modestly pleased at his gruff compliment.  
  
"Well, well! If it isn't Rikku Sehdan," a snide voice says from behind. All of us turn around and I see that we are being approached by more people. Only these people are different from my current 'companions'. They are dressed properly and have their hair nicely groomed, with fashionable shoes and pockets bulging with extra cash. My kind of people, you might say, except at the moment I don't particularly trust the apparent leader's expression.  
  
He is a tall specimen, sporting strange but stylish blue hair and icy grey eyes that lack any spark or gleam of spirit. He is looking at the blonde girl with a haughty expression, and behind him his cronies and female groupies stand to watch eagerly. I can feel in my gut that something bad is about to happen.  
  
"What do you want, Guado?" the girl Rikku snaps, her fists tightening. Guado looks her up and down arrogantly for a moment.  
  
"Sehdan . . . say, isn't that an Al Bhed name?" he says, feigning curiosity, throwing his posse a quick glance over his broad shoulder. "That's odd. I do believe there's a law that says the Al Bhed are not to be out in public without a leash."  
  
His friends snicker appreciatively, and I can see the blonde girl's face turn red with angry shame. I feel a stab of outrage at the comment, wondering how anyone could be so thoughtless and narrow-minded.  
  
"Fuck off, Seymour," the eye patch boy snarls, brushing me aside to come and stand next to Rikku. "You don't want to start anything with us."  
  
"Get lost while you still can," a silver haired girl says in a low tone, her scarlet eyes shooting daggers at the blue haired young man.  
  
I stand there in the middle, torn between two worlds about to clash. I know that I have to make a decision. Either pick a side, or run. Slowly I shift my gaze back to Tidus, trying and read his expression. He is staring at Seymour Guado with his jaw muscles tightening, but his stance is relaxed. Suddenly he senses my stare and looks at me, his piercing eyes searching. I can feel him boring into my very being. And then, immediately, my mind is made up. Once again I must rely on my vast historical knowledge to calm down the situation.  
  
"Pardon me," I say, turning back to face Seymour and crossing my arms over my chest, "But Sehdan is not actually an Al Bhed name. It is a Sanubian native name meaning 'Warrior', although it is often mistaken for the Al Bhed word 'Sehecdan', which means 'Minister'." He blinks at me, taken aback. "Quite a simple mistake, but really one you want to watch out for in the future."  
  
My hands are trembling as I speak, and I clasp them behind my back to keep them from showing. I am not exactly being truthful, since 'Sehdan' is derived directly from 'Sehecdan', and means basically the same thing, but I keep a straight face and calm voice.  
  
Seymour then frowns suspiciously.  
  
"Aren't you Lord Braska's daughter?" he demands suddenly. I raise an eyebrow, feeling my confidence growing. Behind me I can sense several shocked pairs of eyes on me, but I do not dare to turn around.  
  
"Not that it has anything to do with what we are discussing, but yes, I am his daughter," I reply coolly.  
  
"Then, may I ask why you of all people are associating with these half- regurgitated mongrels?" Seymour asks, giving the thugs a cruel sneer. The redheaded athlete takes a step forward, but the girl dressed in a strange belted skirt with red eyes grabs him by the arm and hauls him back forcefully.  
  
"That is none of your concern. Good day, Seymour Guado," I say swiftly, and then pointedly turn my back on him. I find myself staring back at Tidus, who has been directly behind me the whole time. He gives me a discreet wink and I smile back, feeling the roots of kinship forming between us already.  
  
Behind me, I hear Seymour mutter something darkly to his clique, and then they walk away, leaving me alone with Tidus and his friends. The minute Seymour is out of sight, Tidus bursts out laughing.  
  
"That was so tight!" he exclaims. "Did you see the look on his face? Man, you really know your history shit, don't you?"  
  
I feel a large hand clap my shoulder before I can respond, and I look up to see the red-headed athlete beaming down at me.  
  
"I gotta say, that was some smooth move, girl," he says approvingly.  
  
The others close in around, congratulating me. I cannot help but smile at each of them in turn. Any bad feelings that had started to grow between us had evaporated immediately. Rikku slips her arm around my waist.  
  
"I owe you one. You did some pretty swift thinking, Princess," she tells me with grudging admiration.  
  
"It was nothing. That Seymour guy has no right to be so . . . so . . ." I trail off, searching for a word to use that could describe Guado's unsavoury character.  
  
"Full of shit?" the eye patch boy suggests. I laugh and nod.  
  
"Sounds about right," I agree, and he offers me a grin. Suddenly, I see Tidus step forward, looking directly at me. He holds out his hand to me formally.  
  
"Tidus," he says, and again I see the flash of his teeth. I shake his hand, admiring its warmth.  
  
"Yuna," I reply, returning his smile.  
  
Then, one by one, Tidus goes from person to person, introducing me to them. They are Rikku, Gippal, Wakka, Lulu, and Paine. Then, quite suddenly, it occurs to me that they are a gang. It is not that they wear signature bandanas or have shiny motorcycles, but it is abruptly quite obvious that Tidus seems to be in charge, judging from the fact that they call him 'Boss' and he appears to be the one with all the confidence. The others look to him for direction, and from their third-class clothing and the mannerisms with which they spoke, I guess that they come from a world where they are only safe in numbers. A world where you are nothing without a gang for protection. I feel my heartbeat increase, and not just because of Tidus' winning smile or crystalline blue eyes gazing at me. I know that if I am caught speaking to them or being near them, my father could possibly find out and forbid me from associating with them. The thought worries me. I am starting to rather like them, and I do not want to shun them simply because of their class.  
  
"Feel like cutting the last period with us and heading down to 8-Ball's?" Tidus asks me, after the introductions are done.  
  
I know the name of that place. It is a pool house that is open to anyone above the age of fifteen. It is a rough, sleazy place full of crime and illegal drinking. It makes me nervous to imagine myself there, but I feel torn. On one hand, I want to go and 'hang out' with the first real acquaintances I've made in a long time, but on the other hand I am reluctant to skip the rest of my first day in a new school and go to such a low-reputed place where Yevon knows what goes on. Besides, my last class, English, is my favourite subject.  
  
I open and close my mouth a few times, unsure of what to do or say. I know they are testing me for a response, judging me. Seeming to sense my hesitation, Tidus offers me another knee-weakening smile. I am compelled to say yes. I want to say yes. I am going to say yes.  
  
"Definitely," I state casually, trying not to sound too excited. The others look satisfied with this answer. I know that I have passed whatever test they have given me, and I feel a surge of adrenaline. I, Yuna Ressan, daughter of Lord Braska Ressan, am skipping school to go to a seedy bar to hang out with a rough gang.  
  
Perhaps this school year is going to be much different from my last. 


	3. A Lasting Impression

Thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate the time you take to brighten my day. In regards to the comment Partial left, no, Tidus and the gang did not accept Yuna simply because they think she's smart. They liked the fact that she stood up to Seymour in Rikku's defence and made him look ignorant. Hope I cleared that up for you, for anyone who cares. Thanks for your patience! Enjoy chapter 3.

TIDUS

I will never forget the look on Seymour's face when Yuna made him look like a jackass back at the school. Not a lot of people have the guts to stand up to him like that, especially with such class. I can tell that Yuna is already a real winner in our book. It's not normal for me to invite people outside the gang to come and hang out with us, but I couldn't help myself. I saw how lonely Yuna had looked at school, and I guess I feel kinda bad for her. Someone with as much money and fame as she has should be the happiest person alive and have the most friends, but strangely enough, most people sort of ignored her, like they already decided she was too good for them. Plus, a part of me really likes her for some reason. I hate to admit it, but she's wormed her way onto my good side, even in the short time I've been around her. She seems real, and not full of shit like most celebrities are. I'm glad she chose to defend us rather than join that idiot Guado's team. It's a rare thing to see a prep sticking up for the thugs around here. And I have to admit, I like having a cute chick like her around for company.

Yuna walks next to me as the seven of us make our way down to 8-Ball's. I notice how she looks around nervously, obviously not used to being in my side of town. I don't blame her; she's lived her entire life in the lap of extreme luxury. Still, I can't help but feel a stab of annoyance. It's not like anything would happen to her in broad daylight while the rest of us are around. Does she think we're totally savage just because we don't have limos and waiters holding silver plates of sushi close at hand?

"Nobody's going to bite you," I say with a smirk as she watches a rough-looking drug dealer walk past us. She looks at me apologetically and smiles, embarrassed.

"Sorry," she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess I'm being silly. I've just never . . . been down here before, that's all."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Lulu said with a shrug. "The gunshots even start to sound soothing after a while."

Yuna stares at her, and I can tell that she isn't sure if Lu is kidding or not. Lulu's always hard to scan, especially for jokes. I chuckle, signalling to her that she should too, and she laughs cautiously.

8-Ball's is an underground place, so we have to walk down a set of stairs into a low stoop where a grubby-looking door sits. I trot downstairs in the lead and push the door open, stepping into a dark room thick with blue cigarette smoke and loud music. Yuna coughs slightly and blinks furiously, trying to look around through the harsh fog.

"Hey, it's the Throwbacks!" someone yells in the back. Me and the gang laugh and wave to a middle-aged Al Bhed guy named Rin, the owner of 8-Ball's, sitting at the bar. We're regulars at the place, so pretty much anyone who hangs out there a lot knows us by now.

"Who's the new set of legs?" a guy nearby asks, leaning forward and eyeing Yuna rudely. She glares at him in a huff, and moves closer to me. I narrow my eyes at him over her head.

"She's not a set of legs," I say coldly. "She's a friend, so back off."

The guy just shrugs and walks away, sipping his beer.

"I'll get our table," Paine says gruffly, moving off to the back corner. Wakka and Lulu go to get our drinks, and Gippal and Rikku head towards the jukebox to pick out some music. Yuna and I are left alone by the pool table. I pick up a cue stick and hold it out to her invitingly.

"Ever played before?" I ask challengingly. She lowers her face, blushing and shaking her head.

"My father would kill me if I did. He thinks pool is a low-class game," she says bitterly. I tighten my grip on the stick for a moment.

"No offence, but your dad sounds like an ass," I say bluntly. She looks up at me quickly, glaring.

"Be that as it may, he is my father, and I don't like you talking about him that way!" she says defensively. "He may have a few narrow-minded opinions, but he risked his life and saved Spira from-"

"Whoa, whoa!" I laugh, holding my hands up in defeat. "I get it, I don't need the history lesson."

She closes her mouth, still scowling at me. Even when she's mad, she's real pretty. That spark in her eye is really something amazing. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair, something I always do out of habit. Rikku always teases me that I'll go bald if I keep it up.

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway, okay? My dad's a jerk too. Just in a different way, is all."

"Well, not everyone's perfect," Yuna says with a shrug. I suppose it's her way of telling me that she forgives me without actually having to say it. "I suppose it wouldn't kill my father to open his mind a bit."

"And I don't suppose it would kill my dad to put the Jack Daniels away, but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon," I say with a grim chuckle. She blinks at me and opens her mouth to say something, but Gippal and Rikku are back from picking out music. Gippal has his arm slung around her waist, and she is playing with his spiky hair. Even though they fight a lot, they both love flirting with each other, especially in public. Rikku lights up another cigarette and lets Gippal have a drag from it.

"So, you two gonna play?" Gippal asks, gesturing to the pool stick in my hand. I look at Yuna challengingly, and she hesitates. Then, she seems to give in, and reaches over and takes the cue stick from me. I grin at her and grab another one, making my way around the other side of the pool table.

Right away it became clear that Yuna had no idea what she was doing. I could tell from the way she held the stick and tried to position it on her hand that she really had no experience whatsoever. I sigh and move over to her side.

"You're holding it wrong," I tell her, trying to sound patient. "Try it like this."

I put my arms around her from behind and position her differently, adjusting her grip on the stick. I feel her jump at my touch, and I cannot help but smile at her discomfort. Something tells me she's not used to guys being so close to her. No doubt her 'Daddy' doesn't like her to have much to do with the opposite sex.

"All right, give it a shot now," I say, stepping back from her. She thrusts the tip forward and aims the cue ball towards the triangle of balls set up at the center of the table. They break apart instantly and roll around in every direction, and Yuna grins with glee as we hear the clinking of a ball sinking into the side pocket.

"I did it!" she says with a laugh, sounding like a kid who just learned how to ride her bike for the first time. I nod with approval. She tries again a few more times, and I make several corrections along the way.

As the game goes on, Yuna's confidence grows more and more. The gang gathers around the table to watch her skills improve, and even though I hate to lose, I find myself slacking off to let her win. A part of me really wants to see her proud smile directed at me when the game ends, the way her mismatched eyes crinkle slightly at the corners. My own thoughts surprise me.

"Not bad for a first timer," I tell her with grudging admiration as she sinks the last ball into the corner pocket. A few other people in 8-Ball's are watching her with interest. She high fives the gang one by one, and then turns to face me with a pleased glow in her eyes.

"Well, I had a very good teacher," she says shyly, looking down at her hands. Wakka and Lulu return with a new set of drinks, and this time Lulu holds one out to Yuna.

"Care to try it?" she asks, waving it under Yuna's nose. Yuna sneezes at the strong smell and takes it cautiously.

"I've never had any alcohol before," she admits uncomfortably, biting her lip and eyeing the drink in her hands. Rikku snickers.

"First time for everything, right, Princess?" she said invitingly. Yuna takes a deep breath and plunges in for a quick sip. Her eyes widen, and then she splutters into a fit of coughs, blinking back tears as she puts the drink down on the table with a loud clunk.

"I guess it's an acquired taste," she says with a weak giggle, as we laugh at her.

"You'll grow to like it, ya?" Wakka grins, punching her roughly in the arm. She flinches, but manages to keep from moaning in pain. Wakka usually doesn't realize his own strength.

"Uh oh," Yuna gasps, clapping her hand over her forehead. "What time is it? I've completely forgotten about my father!"

"Bad news," Lulu says grimly, glancing down at her watch. "It's after five o'clock."

"Oh, he's going to be so angry," Yuna moans into her hands.

The door bangs open.

I see Yuna look up quickly to stare past my shoulder at the front of the room, where everyone has suddenly gone silent. I turn around and my eyes fall to a familiar group of people. My jaw clenches. My fists tighten.

"Shit," Gippal says, glaring with his visible eye. The cigarette drops from Rikku's lips.

Nooj has entered the bar, ladies and gentleman.

Nooj is pretty big for a nineteen year old, and most people mistake him for a guy in his mid twenties. He stands at the door of 8-Ball's, with his gang appearing behind him. I recognize LeBlanc, Logos, Ormi, Baralai, and their newest member, a wimpy-looking kid named Clasko. I recognize him from school a long time ago, but when it became obvious that he was too stupid to make the grades, he dropped out and got a low-paying job working at some grocery store. He's no real threat, but I am pretty sure Nooj has been teaching him some fighting moves. Besides, Clasko already has some decent muscle tone to his credit.

"Who're they?" Yuna asks quietly from behind to Paine.

"Some old friends," Paine whispers back, but her voice is hard and guarded. I notice Baralai staring at her with a look of longing, as if he wants to say something to her, but he knows better than to speak up before Nooj. Baralai and Paine have a secret together that none of us know about. She refuses to talk about it, and Baralai obviously hasn't said a word to anyone. Something tells me they used to be real close, maybe even in a relationship, but Paine is like a closed book. Maybe we'll never know about the two of them.

It is not long before Nooj notices us glaring at him. He grins slowly and smugly as he walks forward, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, well," he says in a fake cheerful voice. "If it isn't my old pals the Throwbacks. How's life been treating you?"

"No better than yours has," Lulu snaps. Nooj's eyes rest on her for a minute. No doubt he remembers quite clearly how Lulu once cast a Blizzard spell on his . . . nether region . . . and left him unable to use it for several weeks. He stares at her as if she was something stuck to the bottom of his boot.

"Oh, come on now, where's the old friendly hospitality you guys are so generous with?" he asks, strolling around us in a small circle.

"You tell 'em, love!" LeBlanc, one of the biggest skanks in town, pipes up from the door, fanning her almost completely bare chest with a sappy love-sick expression on her face. Nooj glares at her and tells her to shut up, and then turns around to look at us again. He stops when he sees Yuna.

"Well!" he says, raising his eyebrows. "I never expected to see Lord Braska's daughter traipsing around after you kids. Now I've seen everything."

"That is none of your concern," Yuna says airily, lifting her chin up defiantly. Nooj laughs at her prissiness, and signals his gang to laugh too. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Shut your mouth, Nooj," I snap. "We don't need you around here. Get lost before we take you outside."

Nooj's lips curl into a sick little smile. "What's stopping you, Lorac?" he says dangerously. The gang and I start walking forward.

"Cut it out, kiddies," Rin yells from the back, pointing to the door. "I don't need this in here."

I turn and look at Yuna with a sigh.

"Maybe you should go home," I tell her quietly. She stares at me and hesitates.

"Will you be all right?" she asks me anxiously. I give her a half smile and a nod, ignoring the fact that everyone is watching this little exchange.

"Yuna!" a deep voice says gruffly from the open door. Everyone looks to the front of the bar to see a tall figure standing there, dressed in a long red coat with dark sunglasses over his eyes. Even Nooj and his gang step back from him, staring at him almost fearfully. I glance at Yuna quickly and see that her expression is sad and embarrassed.

"Auron, what are you doing here?" she asks timidly. Auron? That name sounds oddly familiar to me.

"Rin called me and told me you were here. I didn't believe him when I heard it, but I had to come down here and see for myself," Auron says coldly. The rest of us turn and give Rin a death glare, and he smiles back sheepishly.

"I must say I am disappointed in you, Yuna," Auron continues, taking a step inside. "You're father is very displeased with you, and you are going to have a talk with him when you return."

"I'm sorry, Auron, but I-"

"Just let me take you home," he interrupts harshly, turning on his heel and marching out the door. Yuna sighs and hangs her head.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for inviting me," she says to us with a worn out sigh.

"Bye, Yuna," I reply, watching as she heads towards the door after her pissed off body guard.

"Damn," Wakka whistles, chuckling softly. "What a night, eh?"

"Hey! Where did our little friend Nooj get to?" Rikku pipes up, looking around the bar. Only then do rest of us notice that Nooj and his gang are gone. Paine stares at the door with unreadable red eyes.

It is midnight when I finally come home, slightly drunk and very tired. After Yuna left, the gang and I wandered down town to a party and trashed the place, taking their booze and snagging some gil off the people who were passed out on the floor. We almost got stopped by the police, but we gave them the slip like we always do, even though Wakka was in the mood for more trouble.

"Boy, where the hell were you?"

I sigh and stop, seeing my old man in the hallway. Even though it's dark inside, I can tell already that he's is drunker than I am. He always is.

"None of your fucking business," I mutter, trying to make my way to my room. I dimly see him stagger towards me, fist raised. I step aside and watch as he stumbles forward, losing his balance and crashing to the floor.

"You're a mess, you know that?" I tell him, shaking my head in disgust. "Get yourself a job or something."

He makes a loud coughing wheezy noise, which I guess is supposed to be laughter.

"Me, get a job?" he hiccups. "I had a fucking job. What about you, boy? What've you got to brag about to your old man?"

"I make money at least," I snap. "What have you done since blitzball?"

"Shut your hole, you little shit," Jecht growls, rising up to his hands and knees shakily. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know damn well what I'm talking about!" I yell. "I'm out there every day looking out for myself, but when I come back to this dump all I see is you passed out on the couch, or I know your out screwing some hooker who's too high on acid to know what she's doing! What have I got to be proud of? I'm proud of the fact that I am making my way forward even though I have a wash-out father who's back home rotting away after all that fame and glory!"

His arm shoots out faster than I can see. Before I can stop him, he trips me and sends me to the floor next to him. He crawls over and manages to pin me down, so that his nose is almost touching mine.

"I was the best," he hisses. I gag at his breath, even though the smell of alcohol is all too familiar. "Don't tell me I'm a wash-out. I carried that team, everyone knew it. I was on top of the whole goddamn world, boy. And if it weren't for me, this place would have been destroyed Remember that."

I shove him off me roughly and he rolls to the side, letting me get up. He stares at me through hazy eyes as I feel my way down the hall to my room. When I slam the door behind me, I can still hear him shouting,

"You have no idea how well I served this city! You have no idea, you hear? I was the fucking king!"


	4. Look At Me

YUNA  
  
Auron is silent as he steers the limousine through the heavy traffic of rush hour. He does not even look at me in the rear view mirror, as if he is purposefully trying to make me feel guilty for my 'irresponsibility'.  
  
"I said I'm sorry," I say quietly from the back. "I didn't mean to upset you or Father. Please talk to me, Auron."  
  
Still no response. I sigh and lean my head against the window, grateful for the coolness of the glass.  
  
I can handle many things in life. I can handle my father's neglect, my lack of friends, my isolation from normalcy, the absence of my mother . . . but Auron's hard silence is one of the few things that can break my heart. I've known him my whole life, and he feels more like a real father to me than Lord Braska. Since my birth he has been my guardian, my godfather, and my closest friend. I miss him terribly whenever he leaves the city for any of the tasks he feels he must take care of, for he's the only person in my life who listens to me when I need to be heard. He was my father's guardian when they defeated Sin.  
  
"Where is my father, anyway?" I ask finally, after a few uncomfortable minutes pass.  
  
"He went to Zanarkand to give a speech about Sin this morning," Auron replies gruffly. "He came home a few hours ago."  
  
I nod once and go back to staring out the window.  
  
"They aren't bad people, Auron," I tell him quietly from the back. I see his good unscarred eye glance briefly up at me in the rear view mirror. "The people I was with at the bar. I mean . . . I'm sure they do bad things sometimes, but they're good at heart. You needn't worry about me being around them."  
  
"That's not why I was worried, Yuna," Auron says to me softly. "I don't care who you make friends with as long as you know that they are decent. I was worried because I know that area of the city very well, and what goes on there. 8-Ball's is no safe place, especially for someone like you. Anything could have happened to you, whether or not you were with that gang. You need to be more aware of just how famous you are, and how anyone would want to take advantage of your father's money."  
  
His words silence me, and I feel my spirit cringe with guilt. He's right. It was irresponsible of me to go to such a place . . . but Tidus' eyes and smile drove away all my reservations to be careful and dutiful to my father's name. How could I refuse such beauty? How could I turn away from the first person in so long to reach out to me as a friend?  
  
We pull up to the gates of my house and Auron presses a button on the roof of the car. The black iron bars pull back and allow us up the long winding driveway to the mansion.  
  
By now I am accustomed to my home's size, but everyone else always finds it remarkable. It is a huge five-story high white structure, with tall pillars and a sweeping terrace reaching all the way around the perimeter. There is an enormous pool that surrounds the building like a moat, with a narrow bridge for driving over. The green lawns expanding all around are perfectly trimmed and kept neat, with designated gardens here and there, even a hedge maze in the back. there are a few peacocks strutting around, and the edge of our property is sealed in by tall thick stone walls. I swallow nervously when I see that the light is on in my father's library, where he is no doubt waiting for me.  
  
Auron drives over the bridge and parks the limousine in front of the house. I see that he has taken the liberty of towing my Porsche home for me from the school parking lot. I sit still as he steps out and walks around to open my door, as is a custom in my house that I rarely pay attention to. Before I can walk past him he puts his large hand on my shoulder.  
  
"I know you're lonely," he says gently, turning me around to face him. Unlike most people his looks do not frighten me, in spite of the scar through his right eye and typical unshaven appearance. "I know you want normal teenaged friends like everyone else. But don't let Tidus' charms get the better of your judgement, Yuna. If he's anything like his father, you will have to fight him with all your strength."  
  
I look at him sharply. "How do you know his name? Who is his father?" I ask, surprised. He smirks slightly.  
  
"His father Jecht was Braska's other guardian on the pilgrimage we took to defeat Sin. I met the boy when he was little. Looks exactly like his mother, but he takes after Jecht in attitude. Jecht was a real ladies' man, and I doubt Tidus is any different," he says with some hint of grim fondness. I am astonished. I had no idea Tidus could be linked to Auron and my father. In fact, I didn't even know that my father had another guardian besides Auron.  
  
"And where is Jecht now?" I ask eagerly. Auron's smile fades slowly.  
  
"Most likely drowning in liquor ," he says darkly, looking away from me towards the city, as if he can see Jecht right there.  
  
"Yuna, there you are!" a relieved voice says behind me. I turn around to see the maid Belgemine running towards me down the steps of the terrace. She grabs me by the arms and inspects me closely, her brown hair coming out in loose strands from the bun at the back of her head.  
  
"You're not hurt, are you?" she demands, searching me for any signs of supposed injury. I roll my eyes and smile, gently prying her hands off me.  
  
"I'm fine, Bel. I just lost track of the time with some . . . friends," I tell her, patting her shoulder reassuringly.  
  
"Oh, good," she sighs, calming down. Her face becomes serious then. "You're father is waiting for you in his library, dear."  
  
I swallow and nod, feeling my heart begin to pound fearfully. I walk past her with my head held high in false bravery and stride up to the front door, struggling to prepare myself for my father's anger.  
  
"I made some coffee for you, Sir Auron," Belgemine says behind me. I hear Auron sigh gratefully.  
  
"That would be nice. Thank you, Bel," he says tiredly.  
  
Inside, the house is quiet and dimly lit. I make my way out of the wide front hall with white marble walls and shiny wooden floors past the spiral staircase and into a smaller corridor filled with paintings and statues. The statues and paintings stare at me with blank empty eyes, offering no comfort as I slowly head towards the door at the end of the corridor. My father is just beyond that door, waiting for me to drop some imminent punishment on my shoulders.  
  
I push the door open as quietly as I can, but it creaks anyway.  
  
"Come in," a deep voice says inside. I bite my lip and do as it commands, inching my way across the richly designed carpet. The tall walls are completely covered by ceiling-high bookshelves, each crammed with volumes and scrolls of history and literature. The fireplace is crackling contentedly, oblivious to the graveness of the atmosphere around it. I see my father standing by the window dressed in his dark green robe, back turned to me. The table next to the window sill has a brandy bottle and a half-empty crystal glass next to it. For a man in his late forties, my father looks remarkably well. His brown hair is peppered lightly with grey, and only the skin around his blue eyes holds any sign of wrinkles. He is tall and thin, but strong and broad-shouldered. He is a handsome man, full of pride and authority.  
  
Slowly he turns around, giving me a fleeting glimpse, his tired eyes full of anger. I hesitate.  
  
"Father, I-"  
  
"No," he says, cutting me off and turning to face the window again. "You are not going to say anything just yet. I am going to speak first."  
  
I bite my lip and stare hopelessly at the back of his head, my mind screaming at him to turn around and look me full in the face for once. Why is he always so pained to look me in the eye?  
  
"I worked hard to raise you right, Yuna," he says coldly, beginning to pace around the library. "I put my life on hold all those years ago to destroy Sin so that my future family could always be happy and safe. I taught you everything I could about right and wrong, responsibility and irresponsibility, and so forth. And for what? To come home and find that you, my only child, had run off with a band of hooligans to some seedy bar in the slums of Bevelle! I did not forfeit so much to have you put yourself in danger so foolishly!"  
  
I hear Auron slip in behind me to witness our one-sided argument, as he often does for moral support. My father doesn't even pay him any attention, so preoccupied with his anger.  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Quiet, girl!" he snaps, turning his head to the side giving me a view of his stern profile. I flinch and lower my face again. "Did your mother sacrifice her life giving birth to you only to have you potentially wasted yours? She died so that you could live, Yuna, and this is how you repay her? By shaming the name of your family! What if a reporter had seen you there, and the next thing I know it's all over the news? How could you be so willing to throw away your reputation like that?"  
  
"Why should the public care about where I go and with whom I go with?" I demand suddenly, unable to hold my silence any longer. "And who are you to tell me what to be ashamed of?"  
  
"How dare you think so selfishly!" Father says, outraged. "You think you can throw away all my efforts to raise you properly and run off with those ruffians? Those people are not even comparable to you Yuna, why do you insist on humiliating yourself by associating with them?"  
  
I am shocked, as I always am by his narrow-minded outbursts.  
  
"Father!" I gasp. "How can you say such a thing? They are good people, why does it matter where they come from?"  
  
"They are ghetto filth, and Auron tells me that two of them were Al Bhed! That is the worst part of it, Yuna. I am stunned beyond belief that you would even consider speaking to Al Bhed trash like that in public!"  
  
"For the love of Yevon, Father!" I shout, my temper getting a hold of me. "The times are different now. The Al Bhed are our friends! Why did you work so hard to save Spira if you hate half of its people?"  
  
"I will not have my child trailing around after such people!" he rages, banging his fist on the table. The bottle and glass rattle dangerously.  
  
It is then that Auron glides forward noiselessly to my father's side. I am shaking with fierce anger that I have never felt before. Auron puts his hand on Father's shoulder to calm him and whispers something into his ear. I only hear the name 'Jecht' spoken, but I see that my father's reaction is instant. His expression becomes relaxed and his posture slouches slightly. Auron steps away and turns to face me.  
  
"Perhaps you should go to your room now, Yuna," he says quietly. Father sits down heavily in his chair, facing away from me, and leans his head back with his eyes closed as if in defeat. Again, I silently plead for him to at least look at me before I leave him. But he does nothing. He only sits there, still as a corpse.  
  
Feeling angry and frustrated tears sting my eyes, I wheel around to storm out of the library. I cannot cry in front of Father. I will not. Crying is weak, and I would rather face any torture on Spira than have my father see these tears. Swiftly I leave the room, slamming the door behind me carelessly because I know Father hates noise. I stomp my way up the stairs as hard as I can to my room on the third floor, knowing and not caring that I am acting like a spoiled child.  
  
When I reach my room, I again take care to slam the door loudly and fling myself down on my bed. I bury my face in my arms and cry myself to sleep, wanting desperately to disappear somewhere far away.  
  
I wake up early the next morning, still wearing my clothes from yesterday, my makeup smudged with tears. My back is sore and my stomach muscles are aching from my violent sobbing last night, and not only that, but a fierce headache.  
  
Still, I would rather go to school than spend another minute in this house, so empty of love or laughter. I drag myself from my bed and go to my private bathroom for a shower.  
  
The warm water soothes me somewhat, but I still feel the quiet the deep- rooted anger inside. Somehow I feel dangerous, as if any wrong look or word can set me off into a rampage. Of course I would never indulge the urge. That wouldn't be proper now, would it? The daughter of a High Summoner must always be proper and mild-mannered, obedient and sweet-tempered.  
  
Oh, how I wish I could be like that. Anything to have my father look at me with something in his eyes other than weariness or disapproval. Just once I want to see love inside, or pride. Anything to let me know that deep down inside I am not a failure as a daughter and a disgrace to my family's name.  
  
I trudge downstairs to the kitchen, where Belgemine is busily stirring up some pancake mix. She smiles at me cheerfully as I sit down at the counter, and Auron walks in reading the newspaper. He greets me with by chucking me under the chin, and nods at Belgemine, who is now adding chocolate chips to the mix.  
  
My father does not eat in the kitchen like I do. He prefers to have his meals brought up to his room, where he spends almost every waking hour reading about Spiran history when he's not sleeping.  
  
"Feeling better today, dear?" Belgemine asks me as she hands me a plate of pancakes. I tuck in ravenously, since I did not have dinner last night before the incident with Lord Braska.  
  
"I am, fank oo," I reply, my words muffled by food. She touches my hair affectionately and then moves to pour coffee for Auron, who appears to be transfixed by something about politics in the newspaper.  
  
After brushing my teeth and gathering up my school things, I head back downstairs to where Auron is waiting for me at the front door.  
  
"Don't worry, Auron," I say as I approach him, slinging my back pack over my shoulder. "I'll drive myself again."  
  
"Are you sure?" he asks me, watching closely with his good eye. I smile at him.  
  
"I did it yesterday, didn't I? I know the way perfectly. Take the day off, you work hard enough as it is," I tell him reassuringly. He nods once and tweaks my nose fondly before striding down the hall to help Belgemine clean up the kitchen.  
  
It feels good to be alone in a ridiculously expensive car. I hate to admit it, but I revel in the sweet simple freedom that comes only while I'm in the Porsche with all the windows open and the CD player blasting.  
  
As I drive into the school parking lot, I feel an excited flutter inside. Will I see Tidus and the gang again? Will they invite me into their midst the way they did yesterday? I wonder if I have proven my self to them, or if I even had to in the first place. They do not strike me as a pro- conformity group, but I know well enough that they have their own code of ethics within their closely-knit world. Nearly everything I say or do around them will be somehow turned into a test, whether they do it consciously or not.  
  
The hallways are crowded, but I notice with interest that people move out of my way to clear a path for me. I even hear the occasional, 'Hi, Lady Yuna,' or 'Good morning Miss Ressan. I am not sure whether to be pleased or uncomfortable, for I feel a mixture of both.  
  
Before I can reach my locker, a figure moves in front of me, barring my path. I look up into a pair of cold grey eyes, staring at me from a pale blue-veined face with a sly smirk.  
  
"How are you this morning, Lady Yuna?" Seymour Guado asks in a chillingly pleasant voice. His typical party gathers behind him, watching me.  
  
"Fine, thank you," I reply civilly, trying to step around him. He moves in front of me once more, cutting me off.  
  
"You know, I must admit I was more than a little surprised to see you of all people mingling with that particular group yesterday," he says to me in a condescending tone. "I would have pegged you as more of an elite socialite. Are you that desperate for companionship?"  
  
I feel the stirrings of snobbish pride inside. I have never had such arrogance shown to me by someone who is supposedly my 'inferior', and though I despise flaunting my status in other people's faces, I realize now that sometimes I must do it for the sake of my dignity. My father always taught me to be proud of who I am, and never to let people talk down on me.  
  
"I am neither desperate nor willing to be pegged. I 'mingle' with whomever I want, Seymour, and I will thank you to keep out of my business," I say, mustering as much grace as I can.  
  
"You will always have a place with us, Yuna," Seymour says, ignoring my statement. He gestures to his group behind him. "There's no need to cling to Tidus and his little rat pack."  
  
I stiffen. I do not like the way he chose to make that comment.  
  
"They are not rats, Seymour," I say icily. "It seems to me that the only rat in sight is someone who would talk down on others without the courage to say it to their faces."  
  
Seymour's jaw tightens. I can see the muscle clench as he pierces me with his gaze. His friends glance uncertainly from him back to me. Then, the Guado forces a small smile onto those reptilian lips and backs away.  
  
"Have a nice day, my lady," he says in a disturbingly polite tone. I watch as the clique fades away into the crowd of students, leaving me to stand alone with a pounding heart.  
  
It is only then that I feel something tap my shoulder. I turn around, startled to see another face so very close to mine, and find myself lost in the depths of those crystalline azure eyes, swimming in a golden voice that says to me,  
  
"G'morning, Yuna." 


	5. Bad Guys Never Care

I apologize for this crappy chapter. Oh god . . . crawls into a dark corner   
  
---------------------------------------  
  
TIDUS  
  
The gang's latest issue is the deal with Paine and Baralai. It's an old subject, really, but yesterday brought back all the buzz about it. Paine of course refuses to talk about it, but that doesn't seem to stop the rest of us.  
  
"Come on, Painey," Rikku whines, tugging on Paine's arm childishly. "Just call him, please? You obviously like him, and I bet he misses you like crazy!"  
  
"Rikku, let go of my arm," Paine snaps, jerking out of Rikku's grip. "And just drop it, will you?"  
  
"Girls, it's too early for this," Gippal moans, rubbing his temples tiredly. He drank more than his fair share of booze last night, and is suffering for it with a killer hangover. It took a lot of convincing to get him out of bed and ready for school, but in the end (with the help of Rikku promising to flash him later) he gave in and joined us.  
  
"Tidus, you seem awfully quiet," Lulu tells me quietly. She and I are walking together at the front. I appreciate her silence in the mornings. I shrug and half-smile at her.  
  
"Just thinking, is all," I reply calmly. She raises an eyebrow and smirks slightly.  
  
"About a certain brunette millionaire, perhaps?" she asks, amused.  
  
Damn her mind reading abilities.  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I mutter, frowning at her. But it's too late; I already feel my cheeks burning. She laughs quietly.  
  
"She made quite an impression on you, didn't she? I'm not surprised. I saw the way you two were looking at each other," she says teasingly.  
  
"Bullshit, Lu," I snort. And then I start to wonder. "Really?"  
  
"Really. I'm rarely wrong about these things."  
  
"Uh oh, does Boss have a little crush on the Lady Yuna herself?" asks Wakka, coming up on my other side and slinging his arm around my shoulders. He is smiling that big stupid grin we all love.  
  
"It's not a crush, dammit," I snap, suddenly in a bad mood. By now the others are listening with smirks on their faces. "I just think she's hot. Besides, she stood up to Seymour for us, didn't she?"  
  
And then, I suddenly wonder why I think she's hot. I mean, I usually go for the slutty chicks with a huge rack. Even though Yuna's face is pretty, she really doesn't strike me as the type of girl I normally like.  
  
"Hey man, we're not judgin' you, ya?" Wakka laughs. "We knew it was comin' the minute you turned around and saw her in the parkin' lot."  
  
Sure, they are all just teasing me, but I can already sense the guys backing off. They know that I have Yuna in mind, and she is basically my territory. If either of them has even considered asking her out, they know their chances are gone now. Yuna is mine.  
  
Believe me when I say I don't mean to sound like a possessive jerk. I hadn't meant to think of her that way, but what can I say? She's hot, she's nice, she's smart, and we get along. What's not to like? Besides, part of me is starting to think she could like me back . . . if she finds a way to look past the thug on the outside and see the Me on the inside. I had the power to see the regular girl within the millionaire summoner's daughter, so maybe she can do the same for me. It could happen.  
  
We arrive at school early for the first time since the beginning of the year, which counts as our record. I notice with a grin that Yuna's silver Porsche is parked near the front door, gleaming like a pearl on wheels.  
  
When we walk in through the door, as usual everyone moves out of our way. I can't help but walk tall when the whole gang and I make an entrance. I can imagine how we look to other people standing nearby. Six tough and good- looking street punks cruising down the hall in perfect order, fearless in the world of idiot teenaged high school drama shit that people complain about but do nothing to escape.  
  
I wanted to draw Yuna last night, but I was a bit drunk and I didn't really have the concentration skills I need. I have a sketchbook that I keep under my mattress, but since I'm always with the gang, I don't always have a chance to draw in it as much as I'd like to. Sometimes I'll come home at about eleven thirty and stay up drawing until two just to get out all my ideas. I can picture her face perfectly. I'll do it tonight before I go to sleep.  
  
Damn, I sound like a movie script. A cheesy romance script. Maybe I just need to get laid real bad. I haven't been with a chick since Dona.  
  
"Speak of the devil," Gippal says tauntingly, nudging my elbow and nodding ahead of us. I look up and Yuna, with her back turned to us, talking to someone. I see the blue tentacle freak show hair and I know immediately who it is.  
  
"Seymour," I growl, beginning to walk faster. The others follow right behind me.  
  
But it's too late. By the time we get there, Yuna's already taken care of it. I watch from behind her as Seymour and his crew walk away, and I wait until they're gone before I make my presence known. I tap her shoulder and smile at her as she turns around, knowing full well how close I'm standing to her.  
  
"G'morning, Yuna," I say casually, secretly pleased to see that she does not back away from me. She smiles back, a perfect celebrity smile that doesn't seem fake.  
  
"You're the first person to simply refer to me as 'Yuna' in school," she tells me with a slight laugh. She greets the others with a wave. "It feels strange to be treated like a superior among people my own age."  
  
"I wouldn't complain, Princess," Rikku snorts, lighting up a cigarette. "The best I ever get is 'Slut' or 'Bitch'."  
  
"But you are a slut and a bitch," Gippal points out, ducking as Rikku swipes at his head.  
  
"They're afraid of you, you know," I say to Yuna, ignoring Gippal and Rikku. "You can tell by the way they look at you. They're scared you're going to be either as good as you seem publicly, or the complete opposite."  
  
She stares at me in surprise, and I behind me I sense the gang doing the same.  
  
"How do you know that?" she asks, amazed. I shrug and look down.  
  
"Well . . . 'cause that's sort of what I was thinking when I first saw you," I admit, trying to find any excuse not to look her in the eye. Shit, why did I have to say that? When she answers, I can hear the smile in her voice.  
  
"And . . . what conclusion have you come to?" she asks me. This time I have the courage to look back up at her. I give her my most likable grin.  
  
"What do you think?" I say with a wink. Behind me I hear Wakka slapping his forehead, in disbelief at my open flirting. Usually I'm much more subtle, and I have to admit that I'm surprised at myself.  
  
Damn I need to get laid bad. I find myself wondering if Yuna's a virgin . . .  
  
Of course she is. She's too . . . well . . . she's too Yuna to not be a virgin.  
  
"What did that Guado want?" I ask her suddenly, trying to get rid of these thoughts. She blinks at me for a second as if she doesn't understand, and then it sinks in.  
  
"Oh! That . . . he was just being himself," she says, waving her hand like it doesn't matter. I sigh and curse under my breath.  
  
"Get used to it," I say grimly. "He thinks he owns the whole damn school just because his dad is the Meister of Guadosalaam."  
  
Her two-toned eyes go wide.  
  
"Of course! I remember now. I was wondering why Seymour seemed so familiar," she says, shaking her head. "His father has been over to my house for dinner many times. I knew he had a son, but I didn't know he attended this school . . ."  
  
"Hello there, mind if I join you?" a new voice says behind me. I groan inside. I can recognize it anywhere. I turn and see Dona walking towards us, all smiles and slutty makeup. Her eyes are fixed on Yuna, purposefully avoiding me. She's wearing a dark blue halter top and a matching blue skirt that is about as short as Rikku's. I do not trust the way she is smiling at Yuna.  
  
Yuna smiles at her, almost shyly, and bows her head for a second.  
  
"Hello," she says politely. "I'm-"  
  
"Lady Yuna Ressan, daughter of High Summoner Braska Ressan, defeater of Sin," Dona says with a knowing laugh. "I would have to be blind, deaf, and mute not to recognize you, my lady."  
  
"Please, just call me Yuna. What's your name?" Yuna asks, tilting her head to the side slightly. I look at her for a minute. It's awfully cute the way her hair comes down just a little bit over her face.  
  
"I'm Dona Calisto, and I'm so very pleased to meet you," Dona gushes, holding out her hand for Yuna to shake. I step in front of her and glare down at her, keeping myself between her and Yuna.  
  
"Beat it, Dona. Whatever little game you're playing, don't bring Yuna into it," I snarl. Dona stares up at me with an injured look.  
  
"Tidus, baby, how can you say that to me? I was just being polite! Poor Yuna could certainly stand to make friends other than you, you know," she says in a hurt voice. I feel Yuna's hand on my arm and I turn around to see a startled look on her face.  
  
"Why, there's no need to be so defensive," she tells me, gently pushing me out of Dona's way. "I'd be delighted to get to know Dona."  
  
"No, you don't," I say firmly. "Dona's a scheming little bitch, and she's only using you to get to me. I know the way her mind works, Yuna. She's just going to end up abandoning you when she thinks the time is right to make a move on me."  
  
"How do you know she doesn't want to just be my friend?" she demands, surprised at my words.  
  
"Because I've slept with her, and I know she wants to get back with me, all right? Trust me when I say she doesn't give a shit about you."  
  
Okay, I admit it. I wish I hadn't said it quite like that. I regretted it the second I saw a spark of anger in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, so nobody could possibly want to be friends with me, is that it?" she asks, shaking slightly.  
  
"That's not what I meant. I just meant-"  
  
"You know, Yuna," Dona says, cutting me off. "He's got an awful temper. I don't know why you put up with him yesterday." She moves over to Yuna's side and links their arms together. Yuna stares at me for a moment, and even underneath her anger I can see a flicker of pain.  
  
"Neither do I," she says in a cold voice. She allows Dona to steer her away from me, chatting easily about whatever crap she thinks is interesting. Yuna doesn't look back at me.  
  
"Nice going, Boss," Wakka sighs, rolling his eyes. "I was really startin' to like her too, ya?"  
  
"She shouldn't have been so sensitive," Paine says in a careless tone. "You didn't mean to sound like a complete ass."  
  
"Still, Boss was pretty rough with her," Rikku adds, taking a drag from her cigarette.  
  
I mutter at them to shut up and watch with strange guilt as Yuna and Dona disappear into the crowds. Why do I feel guilt? I shouldn't care about her stupid feelings . . . she's just another celebrity's daughter, another person who's too good for me.  
  
I shouldn't care . . . but I do.  
  
The bell rings suddenly, cutting into my thoughts.  
  
"Art first," I tell the gang, as they stare at me with worry. "I'll see you guys later."  
  
All the way to the art room, I remember the look on Yuna's face as I said those things to her. True, I don't think she should have taken it so seriously, but I can admit that I said some pretty harsh things to her. I swear with frustration.  
  
"Stop caring," I say out loud to myself, quietly so that others can't hear. "If she can't handle you, then she's not worth it. Just forget about her."  
  
Oh, but of course karma has to get in my way. As I walk into the art room, the first thing I see is Yuna sitting at a table across from the door, looking lonely next to a group of people she doesn't know. They look even more nervous having her with them. It's just my luck that I didn't know she was also going to be in my art class. I stand there and stare at her for a moment, until she looks up and sees me all of a sudden.  
  
Her eyes lock into mine, and I can still see a trace of hurt. I hadn't meant to upset her . . . I was trying to protect her from Dona. Dona wouldn't hesitate to stomp all over Yuna's feelings if she knew she would get to me for it. That's just the way her mean brains works, and somehow I have to get Yuna to see that.  
  
Slowly, keeping my eyes on her, I walk around to the back of the class, where a lone table sits. It's the only table I sit at, and nobody else likes to join me. I like it that way . . . I like having all that free space to work in peace, without having to worry about touching someone else's elbow or getting eraser chips on someone else's paper.  
  
She looks right back, refusing to be stared down. Quite different from anyone else . . . so much willpower not to be small under my eyes. I can't help but smile at it. She sees the smile and becomes slightly confused. I can see the expression on her face. Only when the teacher walks in does she look away to be the dutiful student and pay attention. I roll my eyes slightly and lean back against the wall behind me.  
  
I doubt I could ever steer her away from her good student habits. Maybe I don't want to anyway.  
  
"Today," Professor Faradi says as she steps to the front of the class. "We are going to be starting a new project, and I'm going to ask you to get into groups of two."  
  
The blonde woman waits patiently as everyone stands up and begins searching for a partner, her eyes landing on me as I remain motionless. I smirk at her, knowing full well that she's used to my attitude. She's pretty, for a teacher at least, and I guess I got nothing much against her. She puts up with me more than the other teachers do. She knows that I will let some poor loser come to me first, or I'll just do the whole damn thing on my own. Or I won't do it at all . . .  
  
I notice that Yuna still sits alone, with a sad look on her face. Not sad as in miserable, but . . . sad in a lonely sort of way. Won't someone reach out to her? Won't someone realize that she won't bite just because she's a freakin' millionaire?  
  
"Miss Ressan," Professor Faradi says suddenly. "Perhaps you would like to work with Mr. Lorac for the project? I dare say it would be a miracle of your work habits could rub off on him."  
  
Damn woman. The last thing I want to do is to face the girl who somehow managed to get me to care about her feelings, especially after I hurt them.  
  
Yuna nods and gets up slowly and ignores the sympathetic looks people give her as she makes her way to my table in the back of the room. I'm still leaning against the wall, my head back and eyes half closed as I watch her come nearer.  
  
She sits down next to me and stares at the front of the class. I should be paying attention to the instructions, but I am far too busy staring at Yuna. What a picture we must be . . . Yuna, the daughter of the High Summoner Braska, defeater of Sin, sitting next to Tidus, the gang leader from the wrong side of Bevelle. I can't help but snicker at the idea.  
  
Yuna glances at me out of the corner of her eye as I laugh quietly. She looks curious, but suspicious.  
  
"What is so funny?" she asks quietly.  
  
"Nothing," I reply. "I was just thinking about how we must look to the rest of the class."  
  
She frowns slightly and turns her attention back to Mrs. Faradi.  
  
I sit upright and lean close to her for a moment. I see her eyes flicker towards me, but her head doesn't turn.  
  
"I'm sorry," I tell her. She seems startled. "I don't know why I am, but . . . I just figured I should let you know."  
  
Yuna turns to look me full in the eye. Yevon, those eyes . . . I've never seen others like them before. I see so much thought and feeling inside of them, and I wait for her response. Even though I can already tell she's cool with me, somehow I need to hear the words from her mouth.  
  
"You don't know why you're sorry?" she asks, raising her eyebrow.  
  
"Well, I do, it's just that . . . I'm not supposed to. I mean, I usually don't."  
  
"So, you're not used to apologizing. Is that it?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. Can you handle it?"  
  
"I forgive you," she tells me quietly. "I don't think I was really mad in the first place . . ."  
  
"I was a jerk. I should have explained myself more."  
  
STOP APOLOGIZING! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CARE!  
  
She smiles at me, and I relax. It's all good again. But I am still confused . . . I've never had to apologize to any girl before. It was always the chicks who came crawling back to me, begging me to take them back. And now I have this weird feeling for a girl I've only known for a day? Where the hell are my nerves going? Don't tell me I'm getting soft already . . .  
  
Goddamn, I need to get laid. 


	6. Forcing Inspiration

YUNA  
  
In all honesty, I don't know why I forgive Tidus, or why I was angry in the first place. Perhaps I'm just not used to having friends, and dealing with the odd times when they might say something hurtful without really meaning to. I did feel somewhat silly, sitting in that art room, trying to be mad when I knew that I really wasn't. It was the strangest feeling though, seeing him walk into the room and have his eyes instantly fall to me. Perhaps it is simply wishful thinking, but . . . I could have sworn I saw regret, or at least some sliver of guilt. But why should he feel bad for a girl he's only known for a day?  
  
I should be paying attention to the art teacher's instructions, but my mind is occupied with the young man sitting carelessly next to me, with his feet propped up on the table, leaning back against the wall. I wonder if he too is distracted, but with what I cannot know.  
  
All I know is that our project has something to do with photography . . . and now that I look, I see that Mrs. Faradi is writing down the criteria on the blackboard. I copy them down in my notebook and then turn to Tidus, who is once again busy scratching something on the table's surface with an unwound paperclip. I look closer and see that the table is marked by numerous signatures, all of them no doubt coming from the blonde-haired blue-eyed athlete beside me.  
  
"So," I say, interrupting him. He stops and glances up at me from under his eyebrows. "What are we going to do for the project?"  
  
"How long do we have until it's due?" he counters. I glance at the board once again.  
  
"A week."  
  
"Then we don't have to worry just yet."  
  
"I really think we should at least discuss what we want to do-"  
  
"Relax, Yuna," he says dismissively, returning to his table scribbling. "It'll all work out."  
  
I am stunned at his indifference. I come from a household governed by one strict rule: Never procrastinate. In one short sentence, this young man has made a mockery of the very thing my instincts have always told me was the secret of success. All I can do is stare at him, and feel my spark of annoyance grow.  
  
"Fine," I sigh, opening my notebook again. "I'll just start jotting down ideas, and you can keep to your vandalism."  
  
"Sounds good," he says quietly, entranced by his work. He does not catch the edge in my voice.  
  
Ten minutes later, I drop my pencil in defeat and stare down at my sad list. I have two things written down.  
  
Nature scenes City scenes ?  
  
"That all you got in ten minutes?" Tidus asks over my shoulder. I glare at him and snap the book shut in my irritation.  
  
"Well, I don't see you lifting a finger to help me," I grumble.  
  
"I told you, everything will work out. Just don't sweat it, all right?"  
  
"What else do you have planned that is so demanding of your time?" I demand, crossing my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes at him.  
  
"Nothing. But we can't just force artistic inspiration, Yuna," he says calmly. "We have to wait for it to come to us, and when it does, it'll be the best in the class. So just chill and wait for the magic to happen."  
  
As much as I hate to admit it, I find truth in his words. What good would it do to compel the ideas to come out when they clearly aren't even in our heads yet? I sigh and lean my back against the wall as he does, and close my eyes in thought. I try to clear my head, hoping that if I manage to do so, an idea will come to me.  
  
"Yuna, can I ask you something?" he says suddenly, keeping his eyes closed.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"What did Dona talk to you about before the bell rang?"  
  
I hesitate, unwilling to bring up that topic so soon after moving past it. Even though it was perfectly harmless, I sense that Tidus takes it very seriously. Dona was very nice to me, if not somewhat overly sweet, and I do not see the 'danger' in being around her.  
  
"Oh, nothing important. She was just saying how she would love to take me shopping with her and her friends some day. You know . . . girl stuff," I say with a shrug.  
  
He sighs through his nostrils and shakes his head.  
  
"Scheming little bitch," he mutters.  
  
"Are you so certain she doesn't want to just get to know me?" I ask, somewhat more sharply than I meant for it to sound. He looks at me quickly.  
  
"I'm not trying to put you down," he tells me, and I see the sincerity in his eyes. "I'm just saying that I know this girl too well, and she never does anything without thinking of herself first. She would stab all of her little girlfriends in the back if she could get something out of it."  
  
He is silent for a moment, as if debating whether or not he wants to add something to his statement.  
  
"Just . . . be careful. I won't stop you from hanging out with her, but if you do . . . don't let her get too close. Okay?"  
  
I can't help but smile at his concern as I nod in agreement. He really is worried about this whole thing, though I can't understand why. I know how to look after myself.  
  
"You have nothing to worry about," I tell him reassuringly. I feel a flutter inside as he flashes me another heart-stopping smile. How does he do it so easily, so naturally? How is he so effortlessly alluring?  
  
The rest of the class passes uneventfully. Tidus speaks to me now and then, when he isn't transfixed with his graffiti, and we talk about nothing in general. They are easy conversations, perfectly innocent. I am startled by his quick wit, something I was not sure he possessed up until now, and I am eager to hear more.  
  
When the bell rings, he waits for me as I gather my supplies and accompanies me out the door.  
  
Instantly I become embarrassed, seeing the many pairs of eyes turning to stare at us. I can only imagine what they all must be thinking, seeing me walk with Tidus. I do not like to think of myself as being superior to anyone else just because of who my father is, but I know that Tidus comes from a completely different background than my own. I know that we must look strange walking next to each other, ambassadors of two opposite worlds.  
  
"Everybody's staring," I whisper to him, keeping my eyes to the floor.  
  
"I know," he replies carelessly. "It's because they're jealous."  
  
"Of what?" I ask, glancing up at him quickly.  
  
"Either you or me. I haven't decided yet."  
  
"Oh, really?" I say with a grin, rolling my eyes at his humour.  
  
"Face it, Yuna," he says with an air of mock tragedy, "we are a cursed pair, we are. People will always envy me for being with you, the High Summoner's daughter, and people will always envy you because you are in the company of a devilishly handsome rogue with stunning blue eyes, gleaming golden hair, chiselled muscles, a perfect ass, and a smile that can melt anyone's heart. It's your burden, I'm afraid, to be seen with a specimen like myself."  
  
I laugh. What else can I do in the face of such blatant arrogance? But he too is laughing, simply because he is a person who enjoys laughter in any form. I find it hard to believe he thinks Gippal is the only really conceited one in the gang. Then again, perhaps he is simply saying it to make me smile.  
  
We meet up with the gang at Tidus' locker. I see that Rikku is smoking again, not caring that people are coughing and waving smoke out of their faces as they walk past her. Wakka is tossing a switchblade up and down, trying to see how many times he can make it spin in the air without catching it by the blade. Lulu seems to be fascinated by something in a book of spells, and Gippal is busy flirting with the girls walking by. Paine is simply leaning against the lockers, arms folded and eyes closed in thought.  
  
They all stop what they're doing to greet Tidus as we approach. I am touched to see them smile at me when they see me walking next to him, and offer me a welcome as well.  
  
"How's it going, Princess?" Rikku asks, politely blowing smoke over her shoulder rather than in my face.  
  
"Yeah, we were worried Boss scared you off," Gippal adds teasingly, jumping back to avoid Tidus' barrage of playful punches.  
  
"No, everything's fine," I tell them, pleased to be back with them again. It feels nice having friends to hang out with so soon after coming to a new school. I am still overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people in this place. In West Bevelle Prep, the numbers had been reduced to a maximum of four hundred and fifty students, but here . . . the population is well over two thousand at least.  
  
I am worried about becoming too attached to this gang, in case they only see me as a casual acquaintance. They don't seem to mind me being with them, but I know there is a deep bond within their circle that I can never hope to penetrate. They've been friends for so many years, and have been through so much together that I know better than to assume that I too can be that close to them. Not even Tidus, who has captivated my attention from the very beginning.  
  
I stand and talk with them for another minute before I head to my locker to get my things for my next class, Math. Fortunately, Paine is also in this class with me.  
  
I see her walking down the hall, math books under one arm, and I hurry my steps to catch up with her. She merely acknowledges me with a quick glance and a nod. Of all the gang members, Paine is the most distant with me. I sense no dislike or malice for me in her, but I can detect an undertone of mistrust. It is as if she has set up a barrier around herself, keeping me on the outside. I would like to break through that barrier and become friends with her.  
  
"So, do you mind if I sit with you in class? I don't know anyone else."  
  
She merely shrugs. "I don't see what's so bad about sitting alone, but go right ahead."  
  
I falter slightly, but say nothing. I should have been expecting some kind of answer like that from her, I suppose.  
  
"So, how long have you known the others?" I ask, hoping to drift away from the awkwardness.  
  
"Since I was ten," she says shortly. It does not appear that she is willing to say anything else, so I close my mouth and content myself to simply walking in silence.  
  
"Hello, Paine."  
  
Both of us stop and turn to see who that low, gentle voice belongs to. I see a tall young man with silvery white hair and deep green eyes standing nearby, staring at Paine with a slightly nervous but eager expression. I know instantly that he was with Nooj at that bar the other day. He is handsome, but not comparable to Tidus.  
  
That last thought catches me off guard.  
  
I glance quickly at Paine and see that her face is cold, but her crimson eyes are soft with emotion I never imagined I would see in her.  
  
"Baralai," she replies calmly, staring back at the young man.  
  
"I was wondering if we could talk," he says, taking a step towards her. He then notices me standing nearby, and quickly nods to recognize my presence. Paine casts me an emphatic glance, and I know instantly that I am not welcome there at the moment.  
  
"I'll see you later, Paine," I tell her, backing away to allow them privacy. She says nothing in response. I thought I had seen a spark of familiarity between them at 8-Ball's yesterday, but I hadn't been sure up until now.  
  
I must face Math alone today, but inside I am wondering about Paine and that young man Baralai. They would look good together, and I wonder if there is a history between them. Obviously they know each other, but is there something more secret underneath their magnetic stares?  
  
Math is, as it usually is for me, as unbearable as any class can get. The teacher was quiet and only mumbled vaguely, the room was hot and stuffy, and everyone was talking over the lesson. I already have enough trouble with math itself, and it is little comfort to know that my teacher never makes sense and the students are not considerate enough to be quiet.  
  
By the time I drag myself from the class room at the bell, I have a pounding headache and my face is warm from the heated room. It is a relief to have Long Break awaiting me.  
  
When I reach my locker, I am surprised to find writing in black pen on the door. For a moment, I feel a pleased smile growing on my face. Perhaps Tidus and the gang have written a friendly message for me to enjoy. And then as I draw closer, the smile dies on my lips, and I feel nothing but outrage.  
  
GO BACK TO YOUR PALACE, PRINCESS YUNA  
  
I clench my fists and sigh heavily to calm my self down. I have very little doubt in mind who could have done this.  
  
Seymour Guado and his little friends.  
  
I should have been expecting at least some hostility coming to a public school, but I had never imagined it would be so soon. Then again, I suppose it would make the most sense to harass me as soon as I arrive, rather than waiting for me to settle in before causing trouble.  
  
"Good morning, Yuna!"  
  
I turn around and see Dona coming to stand at my side. She is once again wearing a halter top, but this time it is dark green and her mid-thigh skirt is pleated black. She is wearing impossibly tall high heels and there is golden jewellery flashing all over her. I smile at her weakly, and watch as her dark brown eyes fall to my locker door. Her face becomes concerned.  
  
"Who on Spira could do such a thing?" she demands, attempting to scratch it off with her perfectly manicured nail. "This is no way to greet new students."  
  
I gently move her hand away.  
  
"Let's not ruin that nail of yours," I say with a sigh. "I'll get the janitor to wipe it off later."  
  
"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" she asks me, and I am touched by her worry.  
  
"I might," I say grimly, opening my locker to put my books away. Thankfully the inside of my locker has been left untouched. "It's not important. I should have been expecting something like this."  
  
"You shouldn't have to deal with this," Dona says, linking her arm in mine and leading me down the hall. "Really, this is a nice school. Whoever's doing this to you is making this place seem worse than it really is. I bet you anything that this won't happen again."  
  
I try to smile at her, but her words are not genuine, and I know that she does not believe them herself. Had she been Tidus, or someone from the gang, I have the feeling that they would be more truthful and tell me that there is more in store.  
  
"Hey, Yuna, we should eat lunch together today," Dona tells me, changing the subject abruptly. "I'd love to introduce you to my friends, they're all dying to meet you."  
  
I nod my head, grateful for the offer. Even though I enjoy spending time with Tidus' gang, it feels nice to have more than one set of friends to hang around with. Besides, Dona really does seem like a nice girl, if not a bit insincere at times. I don't understand why Tidus is so mistrusting of her, but . . . then again, I don't exactly know what happened between them after they 'slept together'.  
  
I am suddenly bothered to realize that the girl next to me actually did sleep with Tidus. Why should it bother me? I am not Tidus' girl, nor is he somehow in my possession. What does it matter to me if they've been together?  
  
This confusion is not helping my headache . . . 


	7. Ever Modelled Before?

TIDUS  
  
It's late when I come home. I never come home right after school like most people do. For me, opening the door and walking into our tiny apartment that smells like cigarettes and cheap cologne is one of the worst parts of the day.  
  
Thankfully, Jecht's not around. He went out of town for a couple of days to watch the Luca blitzball tournament. I have the most disturbing image of him, staggering around the bleachers, drunk as hell and hitting on anything with boobs, shouting at the athletes that they were 'nothing compared to him'.  
  
There are some days when I like being alone. Being with the gang is great and all, but it's rare for me to have the apartment to myself. So, I enjoy it as much as I can for the time I have it.  
  
Dumping my bag on the floor by the door, I go into the kitchen to find some beer in the fridge, somehow untouched. Must be a new supply.  
  
I sit down to watch TV, only to find out that my old man 'forgot' to pay the cable bill again. Bastard.  
  
Instead, I go to my room and slump down on my floor mattress, staring out the window. My room is full of grey. Grey carpet, grey blanket, grey walls, grey ceiling . . . even the view is of a grey street outside. My window is the only one in the house that leads to the fire escape. The only things I own with any colour are clothes, which are stuffed carelessly into my closet. The only furniture aside from my bed is a CD player and a small desk that I use when I'm drawing.  
  
Speaking of which . . .  
  
I pull out my sketchbook from under my pillow and go to my desk, a fresh idea in mind.  
  
Before long, I begin to see a trace of Yuna staring back at me from the paper. My pencil moves quickly, scratching out every small detail I can think of. Her eyes begin to take shape, and then her hair. I define her nose and mouth properly, and then her ear. I pose her with her hand near her face, supporting her chin as if she's deep in thought about something.  
  
Not that I'm some kind of horny stalker. I have sketches of all my friends, not just any random girl I meet. And no matter what anybody thinks, I do not draw naked women. I do have a bit more creativity than that.  
  
For the first time I find myself wishing I had pencil crayons to colour in something. I want to show Yuna's different eye colours, but at the moment I have none. Instead, I shade in one eye darker for the blue, and shade in the other one lightly for the green. Overall, the effect seems to work.  
  
I don't know how good I am as an artist. I never show my work to anyone, not even the gang, so I've never had any criticism. I guess I'm kinda embarrassed about this whole side of me. It seems kind soft, you know? I don't think I'm all that bad, but I'm too much of a pussy to show anything to other people.  
  
But . . . a part of me wants Yuna to see it. Would she like it? Would she think I'm a wimp? For some stupid reason I want to know what she would think. I shouldn't care, but goddamnit, I do! Why? Why her?  
  
Some time later I put the sketchbook away and sit at my desk, staring at the wall blankly. What to do, now that I've scratched that creative itch? I guess I could call one of the gang and-  
  
The phone rings.  
  
When I answer it in the kitchen, I am expecting it to be Wakka or Lulu or someone.  
  
"Hello, Tidus?"  
  
"Yuna," I stammer, caught of guard. "How did you get my number?"  
  
"I looked you up in the phone book. Didn't you know you were listed?"  
  
"No, actually," I admit truthfully. Well, at least my boredom's gone. "So, what's up?"  
  
"Not much, really. I was just thinking we should plan when to work on our Art project, and at whose house."  
  
I am about to tell her patiently that we shouldn't force the inspiration for the third time, when I realize what she just said. We would be meeting outside of school, in her house or mine. Now that is a plan I cannot argue with.  
  
"Okay," I say casually, leaning against the wall and taking another sip of beer. "How about we go straight to my place tomorrow after school? It'll be Friday, so we can stay up organizing everything."  
  
"Sounds great!" she says, with a smile in her voice. Oh, damn her power to make me smile back.  
  
"Okay. Meet me at my locker after school and we'll walk back together."  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow. And I'll bring the camera."  
  
"Great. See ya."  
  
All throughout the next day, I am distracted with thoughts of Yuna coming over to my place. It's a relief to know that Jecht won't be home for at least another two or three days, give or take a day he needs to deal with a severe hangover. All I can imagine is the idea of Yuna sitting on my bed, or possibly lying down, and me with a camera in hand . . .  
  
At lunch, Yuna finally catches up with us. She spent the break hanging out with Dona and her little bitch clique, which, even though it pisses me off, at least doesn't seem to be doing any harm.  
  
Yuna hurries over to my locker, where everyone's gathered waiting for me to get my stuff.  
  
"Hey guys!" she says cheerfully, hugging her books to her chest. She's wearing a plain white tank top under a black wool button-up sweater, and a knee-length brown khaki skirt.  
  
We greet her with our usual nods and salutes. Then her eyes fall to Paine, who has been unusually quiet all day. Too quiet, even for Paine.  
  
"So, Paine, how did your talk with Baralai go?" Yuna asks in a friendly voice. Paine shoots her an alarmed look, and the rest of us stare at her in shock.  
  
"You talked to Baralai?"  
  
"When?"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"Did you bang him?"  
  
"Nice going, Princess," Paine snaps at Yuna, who looks confused. And then when she realizes what she's done, she looks horrified. She puts a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Oh, Paine, I'm so sorry! I . . . they're your best friends, I thought you would have told them!"  
  
"Obviously not," Paine growls back. Once again we shower her with questions. I've never seen her blush that deeply, looking around nervously in case someone overhears us.  
  
"All right, all right!" she says finally, gesturing for us to be quiet. "I'll tell you if you all shut your mouths. Baralai came up to me yesterday and wanted to talk. So, I walked with him out behind the gymnasium, where it was quiet. Anyway, he started talking about how close we used to be, and how he missed me a lot. He says he's been trying to leave Nooj's gang, but he's afraid they'll punish him for it. And then he . . ."  
  
"What?" we all demand at the same time. She flinches at the loudness of our voices and hisses at us to shut up again.  
  
"He . . . kissed me, okay?"  
  
At the exact same moment, Rikku and Wakka swoop in and give her a two-way hug, while Lulu just stares at her twin in amazement. Gippal grins at Paine and forces her to give him a high five. I stare at her and shake my head, smiling from ear to ear.  
  
"Aww, our little tomboy is all grown up," I say teasingly.  
  
"Soon she'll start fixing her hair," Gippal says dramatically.  
  
"And then she'll be wearing makeup!" Rikku chimes in, clapping her hands.  
  
"And then short little skirts-"  
  
"NO!" Paine cuts in, refusing to let Lulu finish that sentence. "Anything but the skirts."  
  
We all laugh at her, and slowly I see her smile back, shy, but obviously happy.  
  
"Good for you, Paine," Yuna cuts in, sounding almost timid after pissing her off. Paine gives her a quick nod of thanks, signalling that everything's okay between them.  
  
"So, you're like his girl now?" Wakka asks, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. Paine just shrugs.  
  
"I guess so . . . but if he turns into a possessive asshole, I'm going to shove a knife through his balls," she says, narrowing her burgundy eyes. The guys wince at her words and clutch at their groins protectively, making the girls laugh.  
  
By the time school ends, I have returned to my more relaxed self. No more 'giddiness' over a girl coming to my place. Hell, we might not even do anything aside from working on the stupid project.  
  
I watch Yuna approach my locker, with a very full-looking backpack.  
  
"What's in the bag?" I ask as we walk out the front door together. The gang decided to ditch the last block and head down to the park for some fun. I stayed behind to wait for Yuna, even though a small part of me wants to go and stir up some trouble downtown.  
  
"You'll see," she says with a mysterious smile. I am suddenly very eager to get back to my place.  
  
As we cross into my end of town, a man with a pad of notepaper and a pen suddenly jumps out of a car and comes running down the sidewalk towards us. I freeze and stare at him, and Yuna sighs heavily.  
  
"Miss Yuna! Miss Yuna, mind if I get an interview? Who's this young gentleman you're with? Where're ya headed?" the guy asks, pen held at the ready. His face is tense with excitement at seeing her. Yuna smiles thinly at him and sidesteps by.  
  
"Thanks, but I have to run. I'm sorry sir," she says apologetically, hurrying away from him. She drags me roughly me by the arm until we are out of sight.  
  
Wisely I decide not to say anything about it.  
  
I can't help but notice that she keeps moving closer to me the further we get into the rough neighbourhoods. Somewhere close by we hear gunshots, and Yuna jumps in a panic, but by now gunshots are so familiar on the ears I barely pay any attention to them. All I have to do is listen to see if the sounds come any closer.  
  
"Don't worry," I tell her confidently. "It's probably just some gang popping a thug who owed them money. They won't be out to hurt anyone for fun tonight."  
  
"It must be hard living here," Yuna says sympathetically, still glancing over her shoulder nervously.  
  
"I don't know any other life. Can't really complain about this one," I say carelessly. "I can imagine your place, though. Big ass castle, big ass lawns, a hundred servants, gourmet meals day and night, chauffeurs, crystal chandeliers-"  
  
"Shut up," she says, punching my arm playfully. "It's not quite like that. We only have one paid servant, and the other's like a member of the family. I've known them both for so long I can't imagine having anyone else in the house with me and my father."  
  
"So, your dad's not too picky with the help, huh?"  
  
"Not really. He doesn't spend a lot of time out of his room anyway, except to go around cities and give speeches about Sin," she says with a shrug. I detect with sudden interest that her eyes are sad as she says this.  
  
"This is my place," I say, gesturing to the apartment building ahead. I watch her reaction carefully. It is a rundown building, but it's in better shape than most of the others on the block. She nods politely and smiles at me, but I can see her inwardly bracing herself for a catastrophe.  
  
Our elevator is always broken, so I have to take Yuna up the four flights of stairs. She doesn't complain, but I can see that she is taking note of everything she sees, from the cracks in the wall to the water stains in the ceiling. A cockroach runs across the hallway and she bites her lip to keep from making a startled sound. I almost hope we find a rat, just to see the look on her face.  
  
"Are your parents home?" she asks as I unlock the door and step aside to let her walk in. I pause slightly.  
  
"My dad's out of town right now," I say finally, assuming that she will let it drop. Not what she had in mind, I guess.  
  
"What about your mother?"  
  
I lead her further into the house, pretending I didn't hear her. I don't want her to start feeling all sorry for me when I tell her my mom was gang raped and murdered when I was ten. No need for sympathy. I'm taking care of myself fine, even if I have a good-for-nothing dad to deal with.  
  
Thankfully she doesn't ask again. Maybe she knows I don't want to say anything.  
  
"So, does your bodyguard know you're here?" I ask instead, going to the kitchen to look for something to eat. She fidgets uncomfortably.  
  
"Actually, he . . . they think I'm still at the school, helping one of the teachers. I told them I could be a few hours or more," she mutters guiltily. I stare at her in awe.  
  
"Why, Yuna Ressan!" I say with a pleased smile. "Didn't know you had it in you. Good cover story, though."  
  
"Hey, I can be bad too!" she says with an indignant frown. I just laugh at her and offer her a beer. She hesitates, and then shakes her head.  
  
"Can I have some water instead?" she asks politely. I wince.  
  
"Not sure that's a good idea," I say, running the tap for her to see. The water looks . . . questionable, to say the least. "How about some light cider? My dad keeps a bunch in stock for when he's entertaining his . . . lady friends."  
  
"Okay," she says, looking somewhat relieved.  
  
"So, what's in the bag?" I ask again, after taking her to my room. I can't help but notice how unbothered she seems coming into my bedroom with no one else in the house. It's as if she's too innocent to think that anything could happen in here.  
  
She is sitting on the edge of my bed, too. I resist the urge to join her and pull up a chair from my desk instead.  
  
"This, my friend, is the latest in digital photographic technology," she says proudly, pulling the mystery object out of her back pack. It's a shiny metal sphere the size of a blitzball with a lens sticking out on one side. It even has a few light bulbs and light screens hanging out around the lens to create better lighting.  
  
"Wow," I say, staring at it in her hands. "Looks kinda . . . bulky. Aren't new cameras supposed to be small and light?"  
  
"Well, it isn't heavy, and I guess it could come in a smaller size, but it's very convenient. It hovers on its own, you see," she explains, flicking a small switch on one side. Suddenly she lets go of it, and it lifts in the air, rotating slightly as if looking around its new surroundings. There's a small screen on the side.  
  
"Shit," I whisper, watching as it hovers close to my face.  
  
"I can get it to take a picture of whatever I want when I want," Yuna tells me, sounding like a kid showing off a new toy. "Like this: Camera!"  
  
At the command, the floating camera suddenly whirls around to face Yuna like a soldier waiting for an order.  
  
She arranges herself into a random pose, leaning back on her elbows and crossing her legs. I swallow slightly, my eyes fixed on her legs as her skirt rides up slightly. Her tank top shifts too, exposing a bit of her stomach. She has a nicer body than I expected.  
  
"Camera, take shot," Yuna commands. The camera waits three seconds for Yuna to prepare herself, and then I hear the click and see the flash. She sits up and grins at me, showing me the screen on the back of the orb. There is the picture, freshly taken of her in black and white film.  
  
"You try," she says encouragingly. "It's full of sensors, it'll obey your command. You can change it from black and white photos to colour pictures."  
  
"Camera!" I say sharply. It spins around to face me. "Take shot!"  
  
I fold my arms and stare at it with the sexiest expression I can pull, ignoring the bright flash of light. I check the screen on the back, and there is the picture. Damn I look good. Yuna laughs. Then she gets up and turns the camera around to face the window.  
  
"Take shot," she says, flicking the switch back to manual. It clicks and flashes again, preserving the image of the dirty street beneath us.  
  
"So, now that we know how to work the camera, what shall we take pictures of?" she asks me. I stare at her for a minute, wracking my brains for ideas in spite of my own advice to her.  
  
And then it hits me. The most brilliant idea I've ever had in my life.  
  
I smile at her, my 'winning' grin that Rikku says no woman can resist.  
  
"Ever modelled before?" 


	8. A Glimpse Beneath the Mask

I apologize in advance if this is a boring chapter, I'm just establishing more of a friendship between Tidus and Yuna, while trying to throw in a bit of heat ;). Bear with me! I'll try to pick things up again soon. And regarding that particular review from My Fantasy Reality: I do not consider this to be any of your business, but no, I do not have the same point of view on the whole 'prep' thing that Tidus does in my story. I don't believe in labels. It is simply a characteristic of Tidus', one I plan for him to mature from eventually. Next time, at least have the decency to ASK first before making snap judgement errors, if you please. Thank you for taking the time to comment.  
  
------------------------------  
  
YUNA  
  
I stare at him.  
  
"You're kidding, right?"  
  
He holds the camera steadily aimed at me, that knee-weakening smile of his slowly rendering me powerless. "It's okay, Yuna, I know you have it in you. It's easy! Just strike a bunch of poses." Then he flicks the CD player on, and the music fills the room.  
  
"No," I say flatly. He pleads me with his cobalt blue eyes. "We are not doing a project on me, Tidus!"  
  
"Of course not," he says, frowning as if I'd said something completely unheard of. "I plan on taking off my shirt and posing along with you."  
  
Again, all I can do is stare at him incredulously. He must recognize my expression, because he quickly adds,  
  
"Not as in porn! I just think the ladies would like to see me shirtless. And the guys would enjoy seeing you in a tank top and skirt. Come on, what do you say?" he says imploringly.  
  
"No," I say again, crossing my arms. He turns around to put the camera down on his desk and then promptly removes his muscle shirt.  
  
So, here I am on Friday after school, alone in an apartment with an astonishingly good-looking young man without a shirt and a camera in hand. I cannot help but notice that he has a rather interesting tattoo of a black panther between his shoulder blades.  
  
"Tidus, what on Spira are you planning to do? Why should we do a project on the two of us?" I ask, slowly feeling my resolve deteriorating as I stare at the light falling across his chiselled abs.  
  
"Because, it's surprising and nobody else will think to do it," he explains patiently, picking up the camera again. "You and I are the only male-female partners in the class, and we can actually pull this off. Think about it: I am a dirt-poor street gang member, and you are the High Summoner's millionaire daughter. If people see our pictures together, imagine the kind of social barriers we could break down! Don't you see it?"  
  
His eyes are bright with excitement, and I never imagined I would see this passionate artistic side of him. His words do ring a bell of truth, but I am still hesitant.  
  
"But . . . everyone will know that we were in your apartment alone together, and these pictures-"  
  
"Who cares what anyone says? Rumours don't mean anything Yuna, nobody will remember it in a few weeks. I'm talking about something more important. I want to show everyone that labels and class don't exist. As long as people can be friends, it doesn't matter where you come from or how rich you are. Who cares if people think we slept together? As long as we know the truth ourselves, we shouldn't bother worrying about it."  
  
"If my father were to ever hear of this, of me being here alone with you, he would never forgive me. He would make my life miserable and Yevon knows what he would do to you."  
  
"I don't care what Lord Braska thinks, and you shouldn't either. You're not some brainless little kid anymore, Yuna. You're your own person, and if you know this is a good idea, why should he hold you back?"  
  
How can I resist that smile, that expression? How can I dampen that spirit?  
  
"Fine. But . . . I'm trusting you on this one, Tidus. We can't mess this up," I say warningly.  
  
"We won't. I'll make sure it turns out great, I promise," he says earnestly.  
  
"Okay, so . . . how do we get started?"  
  
"Just do as I say and everything will be perfect."  
  
The afternoon passes quickly for me. Trying to concentrate on the good part of the project's intention, I obediently move into different poses according to Tidus' command. I am startled to find that for the first time in my life, and am beginning to feel truly attractive. Not just 'pretty' or 'nice-looking', though I find those compliments flattering, but actually attractive. I feel strange, arranging myself into different positions, and I can't completely shake the impression that I am in the middle of a soft core pornographic photo shoot.  
  
But when I see the pictures after every shot, I am amazed to see how well they turn out, how artistic and insightful they really are. Tidus really does have a photographer's eye. I move from my position on the bed to stand next to the window, my hand and forehead leaning on the glass. Sometime ago, I don't remember when, Tidus convinced me to take off my sweater so that I am only in my tank top and skirt. I was modest before, but now I feel . . . natural. More comfortable than I knew I could be. For some reason I take my time mentioning that he has yet to join me, as he seems to be enjoying his role as the photographer.  
  
Then I sit against the wall, knees drawn up and arms around my legs, looking away from Tidus. For some reason he doesn't like it when I look directly at the lens. He wants my poses to look real and undisturbed. Once he takes a few shots, I stand up and lean against the wall with one leg propped up, my hands behind my back with my head down.  
  
"Okay, I'm going to jump in now," he says, switching the camera back to float mode. He comes and sits next to me on the floor, draping his arm around my shoulder and leaning his head against mine. His skin is warm against me, yet I find myself getting goosebumps and chills down my spine at his touch. His nearness makes my heart pound almost painfully, but I force my face to remain neutral as the camera preserves our image. It is disturbingly comfortable, having our bodies touch in such a way. If I were merely to turn my head ever so slightly to the side, our lips would meet.  
  
What foolish romantic fantasies I have. I truly thought I had outgrown these girlish high school habits. Aren't I supposed to be much more mature than this? And yet I cannot help but imagine how warm his lips would be against mine, how gentle yet firm his arms would be around me.  
  
I am startled out of my quixotic thoughts as Tidus changes his position abruptly. The skin on my arm is suddenly cold without his body near to keep it warm.  
  
Next, Tidus gets me to sit with my back turned to the camera so that I am only facing him. When I do so, he reaches up quickly to arrange my hair so that a few locks fall around my face. He then laces his fingers over his head and leans back against the wall, one leg propped up.  
  
"Camera, take shot," he says. We freeze the position and wait for the tell- tale flash before moving.  
  
"Can I try something?" I ask, since it seems that he is the one in command. He grins at me from his sitting position.  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
"Stand up and turn your back to the camera." He obeys me and stands still. "Camera, zoom in."  
  
The floating sphere camera moves a foot towards us and the lens slides out for a closer look. I put my hand on Tidus' bare back, just beneath the black panther tattoo, and command the camera to take the picture.  
  
When I check the screen for the end result, I am pleased. My skin is so much paler than Tidus' that it is shows up easily, even in black and white film. The ring on my finger caught the light from the window, so there is a bright starburst in the shot. The tattoo on his back looks dark and alluring. I show Tidus, and he grins.  
  
"Looks awesome. Good job," he tells me.  
  
I find myself enjoying this side of him. Normally he is so tough and sure of himself around everyone else, even though he has always been nice to me. Now he is almost boyish with his anticipation to make this project work. The sweet side of him is most endearing.  
  
Again, the hours fly by, and Tidus and I take seventy pictures at least, pausing now and then to get something to eat from the tiny kitchen. I am shocked to look at my watch and see that it is already seven o'clock.  
  
"Oh!" I gasp, grabbing my black sweater and hoping that my Porsche is left untouched. I feel foolish for leaving it there alone for so long, but I had thought to be back at the school before all the teachers left for the day. "I have to get back and drive home!"  
  
"I'll walk you there," Tidus says, putting his shirt back on. I am almost sorry to see his beauty concealed once again. "This part of town isn't safe to walk in alone, especially chicks."  
  
"What about you? What will you do on your way home?"  
  
"I'll be all right. I know this area like the back of my hand," he says reassuringly, pulling his denim coat on.  
  
We head down the cramped hallway together, and I notice with a nervous turn of stomach how dark the sky is getting. I do not feel safe in this part of town at night, even with Tidus beside me.  
  
The streets are almost completely empty except for a woman standing on the street corner, dressed remarkably like Rikku and looking as if she is waiting for someone. In an instant I realize what kind of profession she must belong to, and I keep my face low as we walk past.  
  
"Hey, Wanda," Tidus says casually, waving his hand at the woman. She turns her pinched hazel eyes to him and gives him a gap-filled smile.  
  
"Evening, kiddo. Fancy lending me a hand with business tonight?" she asks, winking playfully. Tidus chuckles and shakes his head.  
  
"Sorry, Wanda, I got stuff to do," he says, not at all sounding contrite. She waves him off and goes back to her waiting.  
  
Tidus sees me staring at him questioningly.  
  
"She's an old friend of my dad's, but . . . she's kinda had a thing for me for a while," he explains, running his fingers through his hair awkwardly.  
  
"But she's so old!" I whisper, in case we are still in hearing range. She looked to be in her late forties or early fifties at least.  
  
"Yeah, and a total crackwhore. I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole," he says, shuddering. I shake my head at him, wondering at the kind of life this boy leads.  
  
"Look, Yuna . . ." he says slowly, after a moment of silence. "Um . . . thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"You know, for . . . going along with my idea for the project. I know you weren't all that excited about it."  
  
"I trust you," I say with a smile, nudging him slightly with my elbow. "I was worried at first, but now I know it will all work out."  
  
"Really?" he asks, looking pleased. I nod and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. We are now completely alone in the streets, but I can hear traffic a few blocks over. "Good. And . . ."  
  
"What?"  
  
". . . I also wanted to thank you for sticking by the gang when Seymour was hassling Rikku. Not a lot of people would do that for us."  
  
He looks so embarrassed and uncomfortable that I cannot help but giggle at him.  
  
"It's not funny!" he protests, trying to conceal a grin. "I'm being serious here."  
  
"I know, but you seem so very unused to thanking people," I say teasingly. He just shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets.  
  
"Haven't really had a whole lot of people to thank," he says apathetically.  
  
"How strange . . ."  
  
"What's strange?"  
  
"You say you haven't had a whole lot of people to thank in your life, but it feels like all I've been doing throughout mine is doing just that. Thanking people, that is."  
  
He stares at me with a puzzled frown, not fully comprehending.  
  
"I mean, I have to thank people for everything. When someone takes a picture of me in the street, I have to thank them for the attention. If someone interviews me, I thank them at the end for sticking their noses into my business. If someone tells me how lucky I am to be my father's daughter, I thank them for caring, even though what my father did has nothing to do with me. And when people tell me how sorry they am about my mother's death, I thank them for reminding me how much I need her in my life, and how it's my fault she died."  
  
I did not expect to say so much so quickly, but somehow it pours out faster than I can control. I keep my face ahead, but I feel Tidus' eyes on me.  
  
"How did she die?" he asks me softly. I have never heard his voice sound like that. I turn and look at him for a moment before replying.  
  
"Giving birth to me. She lost too much blood."  
  
He is silent for a long time.  
  
"I'm sorry," he says quietly.  
  
"Me too," I reply, sighing through my nostrils. "I only wish my father knew how sorry I am for it."  
  
"He blames you?"  
  
"Well, not to my face, but . . . I know he does. I know because he hates to look at me full in the eye, but in the rare moments when he does, I can . . . I can see the bitterness. I can see the longing for her that nobody will ever be able to satisfy."  
  
I feel tears gathering, but I furiously blink them away. I will not cry in front of Tidus. Crying is weak, and I cannot show such weakness before him. He touches my arm lightly, signalling me to look at him. I lift my face and stare up at him next to me, trying hard to clear my blurry eyes.  
  
"He shouldn't blame you for something that isn't your fault. He'll get over it someday and see the truth," he says gently. I smile shakily at him as my tears recede.  
  
When we reach the school parking lot, I am relieved to see that my Porsche is still there, untouched. A few other cars are still parked nearby, no doubt belonging to teachers staying late.  
  
"Thanks for walking me," I say to Tidus.  
  
"No problem. Nice to have something to do."  
  
"Do you want me to give you a ride back?" I ask, concerned about him walking alone.  
  
"Don't worry about me, I know a few shortcuts. I'll be back home in no time," he says confidently. "Besides, that Porsche of yours isn't safe in my end of town. You'll get carjacked right away."  
  
We smile at each other, and then I unlock the car and slip inside. I wave at him through the window as I start the engine, and he backs up to watch me go.  
  
Our evening together plays through my head as I pass through traffic lights. My face burns with the memory of his warmth against me, the smell of him in my nostrils. I remember how natural it felt, how comfortable it was to have him so near me. Even though I trust him with our project, I am still uncertain how it will turn out, and I am worried about the class' reaction, and Professor Faradi's. Will they all ignore the purpose behind the subject, or will they understand? The last thing I need at my new school is a load of rumours, especially on top of what I found written on my locker. Hopefully a janitor passed by and cleaned it off.  
  
My thoughts turn even more anxious as I draw closer to home. I wonder if my father will accept the lie of my whereabouts, or if he will see that I am being dishonest. I do not like to hide my time with Tidus as if it was some big shameful secret, but I know my father too well. He will never see past it if he knew the truth. He would never let it go. I do not want his anger directed at Tidus, someone who deserves it the least.  
  
When I arrive at the house and walk through the front doors, I am relieved to find that it appears empty. My father must still be retiring in his room, and has most likely not heard or cared about my absence. Belgemine is most likely in the town visiting her mother, and Auron does not seem to be around either.  
  
I creep up to my room and close the door quietly. I look at my clock and see that it is now seven forty five.  
  
Later, when I crawl into bed, it occurs to me with a start that Tidus is the only person I've ever spoken to about my mother. I sit up quickly and open the drawer by my bed, and pull out a small picture frame.  
  
My mother was truly beautiful. Though I look a lot like her, I could never hope to possess the same grace and elegance she had. She stares at me with a placid smile from the photograph in the frame, holding a bouquet of flowers in her delicate hands. I think the picture was taken on her wedding day, for she is wearing a lovely white gown and a pearl necklace. Her brown hair is tied back in a sophisticated bun.  
  
"Mother," I whisper, holding the picture to my chest. "I've never heard your voice or felt your touch, but I miss you so much. It is so hard without you, but . . . I think I may have found someone who understands my pain."  
  
I fall asleep with visions of blue eyes dancing in my dreams, but my sleep is troubled by something. Something I cannot name . . . 


	9. The Truth and Bruises Hurt

TIDUS  
  
Like an idiot, I walk down the sidewalk with a grin on my face. I never really believed Yuna would have the guts to go along with my project idea, but I am glad she did. Not just because of the obvious reasons, like the fact that we were alone in my apartment together, but also because I really do want everyone to see how it turns out. I really do want people to look past social status and just see simple friendships.  
  
I have plans for the pictures. I'm going to need a computer genius to help me though. Probably Paine. She's good at shit like that.  
  
I go over the day's events in my mind. I can't help but notice how arrogant I sound whenever I'm around her. Most of it's just for show, since Gippal's really the cocky bastard in the group. I really said most of that stuff to make her smile. She seems to find it a bit amusing, like she knows I don't mean it or something. Maybe I should slack off a bit. It's not really me, anyway.  
  
It's strange, the fact that I've only known her for two days, but already I feel like it's been two years. I hardly know her at all. I don't know what she likes, what she doesn't like, or anything, but I get the feeling that she really opened up to me tonight. I remember the look on her face, talking about her father and the death of her mother. I remember seeing tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. I almost wish she had cried. It seems like she almost needed to, like it's been held up inside her all this time.  
  
Ah, what am I talking about? I don't know anything about girls. I act like a major stud all the time, but my knowledge doesn't extend past getting them in the sack. When it comes to talking to them, I usually don't know what to say. It's comfortable with Yuna though. It feels like I don't have to talk all the time. Surprisingly enough, I don't mind listening to her.  
  
I realize then that the sky is much darker than it was when Yuna and I left the apartment. Suddenly I begin to wish I had taken up her offer to drive me home after all, even though there is no one else in the street but me. I don't even hear the echoes of gunshots.  
  
Maybe it's the silence that bugs me. I'm so used to some kind of noise in the background that I start feeling anxious when I don't hear anything around me.  
  
And then I hear footsteps. A bunch of footsteps.  
  
I start walking faster, keeping my face down. The footsteps get louder behind me. To my surprise, I feel my heart begin to pound like crazy. I know better than to turn around and see who's following me.  
  
"Well, well! If it isn't little Tidus, all by his itty-bitty self," a mocking voice says. I grit my teeth and stop. I know that voice. I turn around slowly and paste a careless smile on.  
  
"Evening, Nooj. Out for a stroll with your little pets, I see," I say casually.  
  
Nooj smirks at me. He's standing no more than fifteen feet away, his gang behind him. I see Baralai looking at me warningly, as if silently begging me not to say anything stupid. I am painfully aware that there are six of them against me only, and I'm only two blocks away from home. Damn.  
  
"You're looking a bit pale there, Lorac," Nooj points out, taking a few slow steps towards me. "You feeling all right?"  
  
I take one step backwards, and then I stop myself. No way am I going to show fear for this asshole, even though Logos and Ormi are cracking their knuckles threateningly behind him. I cross my arms.  
  
"Never felt better," I reply, shrugging. Leblanc's fingers are twitching, just waiting to unleash some magic. She's a black mage too, but I know she's not as advanced as Lulu. Still, she has the power to do some heavy damage, especially against one person.  
  
Nooj takes another few steps forward.  
  
"You know, I can't help my curiosity. Would you be a dear and tell me what the hell you think you were doing with Yuna Ressan?" he asks bluntly. I narrow my eyes at him.  
  
"A, that's none of your business, and B, fuck you," I snap, forgetting to be afraid. Nooj just shakes his head and chuckles slightly.  
  
"Don't tell me you're planning to get into her pants. There's no way she'll put out for the likes of you."  
  
"If you bring her into this, I swear I'll-"  
  
"You're forgetting, Lorac," he says, waggling a finger at me, "that we outnumber you six to one. You might want to watch what you say to us."  
  
"You think I'm afraid of you?" I snap. "Whatever you're planning, get it over with and stop wasting my time."  
  
Okay, I am scared of Nooj and his gang, but only because I'm taking them all on by myself. Not exactly a smart thing to do, but no way in hell am I going to roll over and let them beat the shit out of me. It doesn't even occur to me if they plan on killing me or not.  
  
Nooj's smile widens.  
  
"My pleasure. Gentleman . . . Madam," he adds, nodding his head to LeBlanc, who swoons at him. "You know what to do."  
  
I see them come at me in slow motion, like it happens in movie spheres. For a second I was too numb to move or react. Then my reflexes kicked in. Just as Clasko swings at me, I duck and ram into his stomach, sending him backwards against LeBlanc. Ormi comes at me from one side and pounds me right in the side. I groan slightly, not fast enough to defend myself as he pummels me over and over again. I fall over and curl up to cover my chest and stomach. I feel Logos and Ormi kicking me in the back, and Clasko is trying to get a shot at my stomach. He then settles on my face. I feel blood spurting from my nose as his boot crashes down against it. LeBlanc pulls together a little spell and hurls at my head. For one second I am blinded by pain. I can't see or hear or think as the black magic hits me. When my vision clears, all I can do is lie there and watch as they all get up and start surrounding me. All the while they are taunting me, sneering at me like little kids cornering an injured animal. I can see their contempt, their hatred. I am slightly aware that Baralai is hanging back somewhat, inching towards me with a torn expression. He doesn't want to hurt me, for Paine's sake, but if he doesn't do anything Nooj will kick his ass for it.  
  
Nooj hangs in the back, a triumphant grin on his face.  
  
"Get him up," he says confidently. Logos and Ormi lift me up and hold my arms behind my back. I try to lash out with my foot, but the two of them move in to keep my legs down. The rest of the gang backs up, leaving a clear path for Nooj to approach me. Blood is leaking down onto my clothes. I can barely see straight, but I catch a glimpse of silver flashing. A switchblade. Great.  
  
Nooj is about to start towards me, switchblade drawn, when he suddenly stops, staring wide-eyed at something over my shoulder. Before I can turn around to see what's got him so petrified, I feel a rush of heat fly past my head. I duck just as the fire spell hits Nooj full in the face, knocking him down with a yell of surprise. Logos and Ormi let go of me and hurry to Nooj's side. I whirl around to see Lulu striding down the street towards us, each hand holding a ball of fire. Her eyes are bright with fierce hatred. Behind her I see Paine, Wakka, Gippal, and Rikku, all with severely pissed off expressions that mean business. Paine's eyes are fixed on Baralai, who looks torn between running and standing his ground to face her.  
  
Nooj scrambles up to his feet weakly, his face and hair singed from the fire. His small glasses are completely scorched and useless. I've never seen him look so enraged.  
  
"So, you had your little bitches hiding out, did you?" he rages, pointing shakily at me. "I should have known you're too much of a pussy to walk alone, Lorac! One of these days I'll get you on your own, and your little posse won't be around to help you."  
  
To everyone's surprise, Gippal pulls a handgun out of his back pocket and fires two warning shots into the sidewalk pavement at Nooj's feet. He jumps back, staggers, and falls against Logos and Clasko, who catch him awkwardly. Gippal, looking more deadly than I've ever seen him look, aims the gun right at Nooj's face.  
  
Nobody moves.  
  
"Shift your sorry ass, Nooj," Gippal hisses. His good eye is dark with rage.  
  
"Gippal," I murmur. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Did you hear me, Nooj? Get the fuck out of here!" Gippal yells. The gun shakes in his hand. His voice echoes in the quiet street. I can see Gippal's mind, ready to snap and fire a million rounds into Nooj's brain.  
  
It is amazing how fast Nooj can run after having a fire spell hit him right in the face. He takes off down the street like a blur, his gang following close behind. Baralai stops running and turns around to face us.  
  
"I'm sorry," he says softly, staring at Paine in agony. "I . . . didn't want this."  
  
She just stares back, too hurt and too angry to say anything back.  
  
"Fuck you," Gippal snarls, pointing the gun threateningly at him. "Don't come near us ever again."  
  
Baralai swallows and turns away, hurrying after his gang. He does not look back at us again.  
  
Rikku is as white as a ghost as she comes to stand at Gippal's side.  
  
"Gippal, baby," she whispers, putting her hand on his arm. Slowly he lowers his arm under her touch, still glaring after Nooj's retreating gang. "Why do you have a gun?"  
  
"To deal with assholes like them!" Gippal seethes. "I'm sick of taking their shit, Rikku! I'm sick of dealing with them all the time and never doing anything to stop them! What kind of gang are we if we don't even have a fucking gun?"  
  
"We don't need one, Gippal," Lulu says calmly. I can see her hands shaking at her sides, though. "We've never needed one. We can take care of ourselves without it, just like we always have."  
  
Gippal swears and shoves the gun back into his rear pocket, running his fingers through his hair like I do. Wakka holds his arm out for me to lean on. My leg is sore from where Logos kicked me.  
  
"Gippal, listen to me," I say, using my 'leader' voice. "Get rid of it. I don't care how or where, but I don't want to see it ever again. Clear?"  
  
He nods at me, his jaw clenched shut.  
  
It hits me then, just what this gang is. We are high school friends, standing together to defend each other from the dangers of the world we come from. I've spent my whole life under the impression that we're badasses, tough as nails. It only comes to me now that we are nothing more than kids. Hell, Gippal's right. What kind of 'gang' doesn't even have a gun? I don't even want a fucking gun! I don't want anyone in my group shooting other people.  
  
There are gangs in my neighbourhood that kill people. They steal money and jewellery right from people's homes. They rape and torture girls. They buy and sell drugs. They attack and kill cops, for Yevon's sake.  
  
I've never even touched drugs aside from booze. We've stolen cars before, but only from the school parking lot, and usually it was just for joyriding. Eventually we'd abandon the car on the side of the road and let someone else take over it. I've never raped a girl. None of the guys in my gang have. All the girls I've slept with have been willing. And we sure as hell have never killed someone. We've beaten people up, of course, but never to a really serious degree.  
  
My whole image of a hardcore Tidus Lorac and his gang of badasses has been crushed. Maybe the same thought seems to have occurred to the others, because a heavy silence falls over us.  
  
"You okay, Paine?"  
  
She nods, keeping her eyes down. Obviously she isn't okay, but Paine isn't one to talk about her problems.  
  
"How did you guys find me?" I ask. Rikku, who has her arm around Gippal affectionately, answers me.  
  
"We went over to your place to see how your project with Yuna went, but you weren't there, so we were on our way to 8-Ball's to see if you were there instead. That's when we found you here."  
  
"How you feelin' boss?" Wakka asks me. I stand up straight and crack my neck, rolling my shoulders and stretching as much as I can. My nose isn't bleeding anymore, but there's still some dried blood on my upper lip, staining my shirt.  
  
"I'm all right. It doesn't hurt that bad anymore," I tell them reassuringly. "I could use a drink, though."  
  
I limp home later that night. I feel a bit better with a few drinks in my system, but my leg is still aching and my stomach hasn't stopped hurting since Ormi pulverized it. Wakka and Rikku had offered to help me home, but I told them to just go home. I'm not a helpless cripple.  
  
I push the door open, and not surprisingly, Jecht's passed out on the couch. I walk past him to my room.  
  
"How was the tournament, Pops?" I ask sarcastically as I walk by. He snores in response. The clock in my room says it's almost midnight.  
  
I collapse onto my bed, too sore to get undressed or even to crawl under the blanket. Outside, some drunk guys are staggering around singing, but I don't have the energy to get up and shut the window. I hear gunshots outside, but it sounds further away than my street.  
  
It hits me then: I could have died tonight. If the gang hadn't showed up to save my ass, I could have been killed. I never imagined Nooj had the balls to pull something like that off, but I know he had a switchblade. I saw him holding it as he walked towards me when I was helpless, trapped between Logos and Ormi. I saw the look in his eyes. He wanted me dead.  
  
Most people in my situation would wonder 'Why? What did I ever do to him?', but not me. In my world, we don't ask questions like that. The important thing is that Nooj has the guts to kill me, and almost had his chance tonight. It doesn't matter why he wants to. Maybe there is no reason. Maybe he just doesn't like me and wants me out of the way. I won't make the mistake of walking alone again. I can't afford to.  
  
Would he have attacked me if I had been with Yuna? Would he have hurt her to keep her quiet? No way does he have the nerve to harm her, the famous daughter of High Summoner Braska . . . does he?  
  
But I can't ask these questions. I can't demand answers from him. The best thing I can do is sleep off the pain and face the next day.  
  
I wake up with the sun in my eyes. Moaning, I roll onto my other side to shield my face from the light. Then the memory of last night comes back, and it is then that I notice my body doesn't hurt as much. I sit up and stretch. My stomach still hurts a bit, and when I lift up my shirt I count a lot of bruises, but I can at least sit upright without groaning in pain.  
  
Walking out into the kitchen, I see Jecht sitting at the table, drinking coffee. He looks like shit.  
  
He glances up at me.  
  
"When did you get back last night?" he grunts, squinting in the sunlight.  
  
"Midnight. You?" I ask, going to the fridge.  
  
"Around ten. The Luca Goers won the Crystal Cup again," he says, snorting with disgust. "Shoulda been the Bevelle Thunderbolts."  
  
"No kidding," I reply absently. Blitzball was never really a big concern of mine, even though I once played for the school team. Wakka was supposed to be on it this year, but he dropped out of it when he found out that the team mascot was going to be a blue bird. He said he was never going to play for a team with a sissy mascot.  
  
"So, how'd you hold up when I was gone?" Jecht asks, taking a sip of coffee. I feel like laughing at the question, but I decide no to. I know he doesn't care about what I did. He just wants to know if I got into trouble with the cops or something.  
  
"Good," I tell him, shrugging as I pull out a beer bottle. Then, just to see his reaction, I add, "Had a girl come over for a school project."  
  
He narrows his eyes at me. "A girl, eh?"  
  
"Yup. A really pretty girl was here with me. Alone." I know I am grinning as I tell him this, but I don't care.  
  
"Really. Did you get lucky?" he asks, daring me to say yes. I just smile at him and take a sip of beer. He mutters something under his breath and picks up the newspaper.  
  
"I'm sick of you bringing your little sluts around here. Next time, fuck her in a car or something," he says moodily.  
  
I glare at him. I know he only said it to get on my nerves, but I can't help it.  
  
"She's not mine, and she's not a slut," I snap, dropping the bottle in the sink with a loud clatter. "She's a friend. If I ever have her over again, stay the hell away from her."  
  
He raises his eyebrow dangerously. "Don't tell me what to do, boy."  
  
"I mean it. She's a nice girl."  
  
"Whatever. Just remember who the boss around here is."  
  
"Fine."  
  
I go to the phone to call up one of the gang, when it suddenly rings. I answer it right away.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Tidus. It's Yuna." 


	10. Trying On a New Face

Thank you all for the lovely reviews! Enjoy Chapter 10.  
  
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YUNA  
  
I hear the smile in his voice.  
  
"Hey. What's up?" he asks. I am sitting on my bed with the cordless phone in hand, wearing the white nightgown I was sleeping in last night. Belgemine is fluttering around my room, dusting random objects and tidying up, even though I told her I can manage my own room. I know she is trying to be quiet so she can listen in on my conversation with Tidus.  
  
"Nothing, really. I was just calling because . . . um . . ." I falter slightly, unsure of how to say this.  
  
"What is it?" he urges, sounding curious.  
  
"Well, this is going to sound strange, but . . . did anything . . . happen to you last night?"  
  
A long pause on his end. I ignore Belgemine's quick glance in my direction.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I just had this feeling last night that something bad happened to you. I can't really explain it, but sometimes I get these strange vibes, and I'm usually right. Am I right this time?"  
  
"Well . . . last night Nooj and his gang jumped me when I was walking home," he replies casually.  
  
My stomach lurches. "Oh Tidus, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"  
  
I hear him laugh. "Yuna, relax! I'm fine. The bruises will fade away eventually. No serious harm done, thanks to my gang for showing up at the right moment."  
  
"I knew I should have given you a ride home . . ."  
  
"And what, risk that beautiful Porsche of yours? I'd never forgive you if you let it get stolen."  
  
"But you could have been killed! What's a car compared to a human life?"  
  
Belgemine is now staring pointedly at me. I gesture for her to leave, which she does reluctantly, still trying to catch hints of our conversation. "Have you spoken to the police?"  
  
He laughs again, harder this time. "Yuna, stuff like this happens all the time in my neighbourhood. People get murdered in the streets and the police don't do jack shit about it. The law doesn't care about any of us on this end of town. Just don't worry yourself about it, okay?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"I swear on my father's dead glory that I am fine. It's nothing serious."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes," he says emphatically. "Trust me. The gang was there to back me up."  
  
"Okay. I believe you."  
  
"Man, what were you planning to do? Come down here and nurse me back to health?"  
  
"No," I mutter, picking at a loose thread in my nightgown. "It was just a feeling. It bugged me all night." Of course he doesn't know I possess some White Magic. At least not yet.  
  
"How nice. Someone loves me!" he says, laughing. I blush furiously.  
  
"You be quiet," I snap, trying not to grin into the phone. "Sorry for trying to help!"  
  
"Well, I guess it comes in handy having a psychic friend. Know any winning lottery numbers?"  
  
I giggle softly at the joke, secretly pleased inside. He just referred to me as a friend.  
  
"So, what are you up to today?" he asks me. I stand up and walk to the window overlooking the city. Even in the daylight, Bevelle is beautiful.  
  
"Actually, I'm going shopping with Dona and her friends this afternoon."  
  
I brace myself, hearing the hesitation on his end.  
  
"Oh," he says quietly, in a flat voice. "Listen, my dad needs the phone. Talk to you later."  
  
I am about to say bye as well, when I hear the click and ring tone. He has hung up on me, obviously displeased with my plans for the day. I sigh and shut off the cordless phone, troubled by his attitude. It still baffles me how he could be so suspicious of Dona. Just because they supposedly had some trouble in a relationship a while ago, why must he mistrust her so? She seems harmless to me.  
  
There is a knock on my door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Auron pokes his head in, regarding me as I turn around from the window to greet him.  
  
"Your father wants to see you in the library. Best not to keep him waiting," he tells me, and then withdraws. I swallow. The library? Father never wants to see me there unless he's angry. If I were to see him in his private study, or his bedroom for that matter, I would not be worried. But ever since I was a child, the library has always been the place where I receive my punishments. I do not have very fond memories of that room . . .  
  
Does he know where I was last night? Will he interrogate me and then force some kind of chastisement on me for it?  
  
I change quickly and hastily run a brush through my hair, attempting to make myself look presentable. My father hates sloppy appearances, especially under his own roof.  
  
The house feels very cold and silent as I make my way down the vast staircase and through the main hall to the library. The door is slightly ajar, and I can hear the faint sounds of classical music coming from within; his favourite choice of music.  
  
"Father?" I ask, peering in through the somewhat open door. He is standing with his back to me at the fireplace, one hand resting on the mantle. There is, yet again, a bottle of brandy and a crystal glass sitting nearby.  
  
"Come in." His voice is grim.  
  
I step in further and stand uncomfortably by the doorway. I am reluctant to walk in any farther.  
  
"You came in late last night. Where were you?"  
  
My heart sinks. So he knew of my absence. What can I say to him? Should I lie to protect myself?  
  
I stare hopelessly at the man's back, wanting again to make him turn around to face me. Just once I want him to look me in the eye.  
  
The anger comes again. I will not hide from him this time. I will not be ashamed of my friends.  
  
"I was with a friend, working on a school project with him."  
  
He stiffens, still facing the fire.  
  
"Him? Who is 'him', pray tell?"  
  
"His name is Tidus. I was with him and his gang at 8-Ball's the other night."  
  
My own boldness surprises me, but there is no turning back now. He still does not turn around.  
  
"I thought I made myself quite clear that you were not to associate with those people, young lady," he says slowly. I can hear him struggling with his own anger.  
  
"I know."  
  
"And yet you insist on defying me?"  
  
"It's not to defy you, Father. I like this boy. I like his friends. They are nice to me, and they-"  
  
"Did he touch you?"  
  
"Father!" I gasp, startled at his question. I feel my cheeks burning. "No, of course not! He's my friend, how could you suggest such a thing?"  
  
"I know his kind, Yuna. I know what he's after."  
  
"That's ridiculous, Father, he's not some savage."  
  
"Do you have feelings for him?"  
  
"That's none of your busine-"  
  
"Answer my question, girl!"  
  
". . . I . . . I don't know," I falter. It's the truth. Am I developing feelings for him like in some silly high school drama?  
  
He is silent for a moment, as if contemplating my response.  
  
"I am going to say this one last time, young lady. You are not to spend any more time with this boy, do you understand?"  
  
I clench my fists. I am too angry even for tears.  
  
"Father . . . I am going to spend as much time with him as I want."  
  
He is so stunned by my statement that he turns around to face me. His eyes are wide.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You . . . heard what I said." My heart is pounding so hard I can barely hear anything else. But I refuse to back down this time. I am tired of him controlling me and telling me what to do. I have been nothing but a loyal and patient daughter my whole life, never questioning him. I have had enough of it. Today I am making my own choice.  
  
He turns away from me and rubs at his temples, clearly agitated.  
  
"Yuna, I don't appreciate your little attitude. I've given you my order, and I expect you to obey."  
  
"I will not obey something so unjust! Father, you don't know these kids, if you just met them you'd see that-"  
  
"I won't discuss it any further, girl. Clearly you are suffering from a case of menstrual hormones. Ask Belgemine to give you some Midol to take care of it."  
  
I gape at him, stunned by his indifference. I can do nothing but open and close my mouth at his back, too outraged to speak. Finally I whirl around and storm out of the library. I am severely tempted to call Tidus and his friends to invite them all over, just to spite Father.  
  
But the rational, mature part of me gradually takes control again. I sit down at the bottom of the stairs, gripping the polished wood rail to calm myself. I will not let that man get the best of me, no matter how angry he makes me.  
  
I stand up to go into the kitchen, when I notice Auron standing nearby. I am not surprised; his stride is completely silent. I never know where or when he'll appear. I stare at him for a minute.  
  
"How can you bear serving my father? How can you live under the same roof as that man for so long?" I ask in a low voice. Auron chuckles and shakes his head.  
  
"Braska and I go way back, Yuna. We defeated Sin together. There's no way I could turn my back on a friendship like that," he says with a grim smile. I walk over to him, and lean my forehead against his shoulder. He lifts up one arm to hold me around the shoulders.  
  
"And there's no way I could leave you behind," he says softly. "You've been like a daughter me." I sigh heavily and close my eyes.  
  
"I'm glad you didn't. I'd never be able to survive here without you," I tell him. My words are muffled by the material of his shirt. He says nothing in response, except to pet me on the back gently.  
  
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"Oh my god, Yuna, this would look SO good on you!" Dona says excitedly, holding up a small piece of sky blue material against my chest. It takes me a moment to realize it's a shirt. Gently I push it away, shaking my head with a shy smile.  
  
"I . . . don't think this would suit me. Maybe you should try it on instead," I say awkwardly. Dona pulls it towards herself, a thoughtful expression on her face.  
  
"You think so? Well, I could give it a try. But we need to get you to buy something a bit more skanky than your whole librarian look," she says with a wink. I fidget uncomfortably as she and her friends examine me. There are two other girls with us, a redhead and a dark brunette. I'm not sure I remember the redhead's name, though I believe it is something like Lucil, and the other girl is Elma.  
  
It is a wonder that my father did not try to stop me this afternoon when I told him that I was going out shopping with some friends from school. Perhaps he was too distracted with preparing his speech for his prestigious dinner party at some governor's house tonight. Either way, I was relieved to not have to deal with him as I left the house.  
  
I don't see what's so bad about my 'librarian' look. I never have the urge to show off a lot of skin, and besides, I need to be prettier like Dona and her friends to wear clothes like that. As the day progresses, I become more and more aware of how small my breasts are compared to theirs.  
  
But then I start to wonder. What would I look like in the clothes that Dona and her friends wear? Would people look at me the way they do her? Do I want them to look at me that way? Briefly I think of Tidus, but I am quick to banish the thought from my mind.  
  
"Maybe . . . I could try this on," I say slowly, pulling a crimson halter top off from the rack. It looks long enough to cover my stomach at least. Dona turns around to inspect it, and her face breaks into a grin.  
  
"That would be perfect for you! Go on to the change room, show us when you're done."  
  
"Try it with this," Elma says, handing me a short black pleated skirt. I take it hesitantly, wondering which exact part of my thigh it will come down to.  
  
"And these!" the redhead I believe to be named Lucil adds, shoving a pair of black knee-high boots in my arms. The three of them hastily push me in the direction of the change rooms, all with matriarchal smiles on their faces, as if they were mothers watching their daughter buy her first training bra or something.  
  
When I emerge from the change rooms, I am embarrassed to note that the three girls are not the only ones checking me over. The male store clerk is leaning over to catch a glimpse from behind the counter, and a man with his young daughter is also looking with an interested expression.  
  
Dona's jaw drops. "Ohmigod! Yuna, you're hot!" she squeals. I turn around to look in the store mirror, and freeze.  
  
Luckily, the shirt does cover my stomach, but it reveals a lot of my back and more cleavage than I'm used to, and the skirt is astonishingly short. I am not sure it even comes down mid-thigh. The black boots are more comfortable than I had anticipated, and they look good with the outfit. Well . . . it really doesn't look that bad. Certainly different from my usual look, but it looks kind of nice. I would never dream of wearing this in school . . .  
  
"You going to buy it?" Lucil asks me with a delighted smile. I grin at her.  
  
"I think I shall."  
  
"Great! Then we got to get you more clothes like this," Dona says decidedly. Immediately she and her friends fan out and begin filing through the clothes racks. I stand numbly rooted to the spot as they begin dumping different items of clothing into my arms. The credit card in my pocket feels like the key to unlocking some mysterious door.  
  
Dona and her friends make me try on each outfit and model it for them. Some of them are too skimpy for my taste, and the girls reluctantly returned them to their original places, but a few of the outfits I really like.  
  
Finally I am ready to buy what I've selected (or what was selected for me, to be truthful). The price is shockingly high, but when you're the daughter of a millionaire, money is not always a huge concern.  
  
Walking out of the store and back into the crowded mall, Dona and her friends are making a big fuss over me, which I can only nod and smile at. I really don't see what the big deal is. I mean, they are just clothes. But then, walking past a store window, I catch a glimpse of my reflection. I am wearing a long-sleeved green shirt and some fitted jeans that are quite unremarkable. Who knew I had a body similar to Dona's under it all? I had never suspected I was capable of wearing clothes like hers, but even though my breasts are not as large, I am amazed to realize that I can show off more than what I've been revealing. Not too much, of course, but . . . enough to make a few heads turn, if possible. Maybe even Tidus'.  
  
Ah, there's that thought again. The thought that fills my stomach with butterflies and makes my heart pound furiously. I cannot shake this feeling growing inside of me, try as I might. I cannot rid the thought that what I feel for that certain blue-eyed boy is becoming more than just friendship.  
  
I glance at Dona out the corner of my eye. It is still strange, knowing that she and Tidus were once intimate together, and I am surprised to feel a stab of envy. I then look down at the shopping bags weighing my arms down, full of 'scandalous' new clothes that I have never even considered trying on before.  
  
'I'll make heads turn all right,' I think with sudden resolve. 'And I'll make a certain blonde head turn more than once.' 


	11. The Unveiling

Recently I've started getting my inspiration back for my other story, Children of Light, so you may have noticed that I update that one more frequently than this one. I do apologize to those of you who like this story better, but I swear that I will keep working on it as well. I just need to scratch my creative itches, you know? Thanks for being awesome reviewers, and sorry for the delay! I've been battling with a bit of writer's block for this chapter. Hope it turned out okay . . . ?  
  
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TIDUS  
  
Sitting in Wakka's basement, ignoring the familiar sound of Rikku and Gippal arguing, my thoughts once again return to the art project, which is due in two days. The two weeks have flown by surprisingly fast.  
  
After Paine agreed, if not impatiently, to show me how to use the photo editing program on a computer, I spent hours going over the pictures Yuna and I took at my place. I ended up deleting over thirty shots, but I still have about forty left to set up the project. It was hard work sorting through the ones I wanted to get rid of and the ones I wanted to keep, but I did have fun editing them.  
  
I decided I didn't want Yuna to see the end result until the due date, along with everyone else in the class. Nobody in the gang really cares about the whole thing, but they are wondering why I am suddenly taking school so seriously. Usually I'm the one who couldn't care less about making the grades.  
  
It's hard to concentrate when two annoying voices keep cutting into my thoughts.  
  
"Gippal, I told you, I am NOT going to flash you!" Rikku snaps, folding her arms over her chest protectively. Gippal sighs with exasperation.  
  
"A bet is a bet, Rikku!" he say, outraged. "YOU said the Bevelle Thunderbolts would win the Crystal Cup, but they lost! The terms were that if you lost, you had to flash me."  
  
"Yes, but you said that the Kilika Beasts would win this year, but the Luca Goers won instead. YOU owe me thirty gil, you cheap ass," she shoots back angrily.  
  
"Give it a rest, you two," Lulu says irritably, pausing her attempts to get her new Moogle doll to sit still. "Neither of you won and neither of you lost. Just leave it at that."  
  
"Or, Gippal could pay Rikku thirty gil to flash him. That way, they both win!" Wakka chimes in with a teasing laugh as he balances a blitzball on his forehead. Both Gippal and Rikku shoot him death glares.  
  
"No way am I cleaning out thirty gil," Gippal mutters.  
  
"And no way am I showing off the goods," Rikku adds.  
  
Most people think Rikku is a total slut, which she usually is, but with us, she can be pretty shy. Especially around Gippal, now that I think about it. Then again, Gippal is always persisting Rikku to let him cop a feel or to 'show him the goods'.  
  
"Boss, help me out here," Gippal says pleadingly to me. Rikku begs me with her eyes to take her side.  
  
"I'm not going to get involved," I say throwing my hands up defensively. "Just sort it out yourselves."  
  
"Leave Boss alone," Paine says next to me, her eyes fixed on the TV. Her expression is slightly amused. "He's too preoccupied thinking about Yuna to worry about our problems."  
  
Instantly everyone begins 'ooohing' at me. I just roll my eyes, powerless to stop the blush from creeping up on me. Oddly enough, I never used to blush until Yuna started hanging out with us. But now, whenever someone mentions her name, I can feel the heat in my face like a fever.  
  
"Whatever," I say, trying to sound casual. "I just don't care about a stupid bet, that's all."  
  
"Aw, come on, Tidus, no sense in trying to pretend. We all know you got the hots for Yunie," Rikku says with a smile, forgetting to be annoyed with Gippal for the moment. 'Yunie' is Rikku's latest pet name for our new friend. To everyone's amazement, besides our own, Yuna seems to really like hanging out with us, and doesn't show much interest in ditching us for someone else. It bothers me that she's still hanging out with Dona, but the more I see them around each other, the more I start to wonder if Dona really is up to something.  
  
"Dude, just ask her out, ya?" Wakka says with a snort, throwing the blitzball at me. I catch it skilfully and hurl it back at him, nearly knocking him off the top of the dryer, where he usually sits. He likes the vibration against his ass, apparently.  
  
"Seriously, what's the worst that could happen?" Gippal asks with a shrug.  
  
"She could say no," I grumble, sinking lower in the couch.  
  
"You mean there's actually a female with the ability to refuse our dashing Tidus Lorac's charms?" Lulu says sarcastically. "She's probably dying to go out with you, you know."  
  
"No way, you guys," I sigh, getting up to grab an ice cream sandwich from the nearby freezer. Wakka's house is always stocked with junk food, making it one of our main hang-outs. "We're on completely different ends of the system. She's the Summoner's daughter, for shit's sake."  
  
"Yeah, and you're the hot bad boy gang leader. What girl wouldn't want that?" Rikku asks brightly. I smile vaguely at her and shake my head.  
  
"Yuna's not like the girls from our end of town. She's . . . classy. She has real expectations."  
  
"What, and we don't?" Lulu asks with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"That's not what I meant. All I'm saying that there's no way Yuna could go for a guy like me when her dad's probably lined her up with some royal hotshot. It just wouldn't work."  
  
They're staring at me in disbelief, and frankly I can't blame them. This is the first time I've ever really doubted my chances of getting the girl I have in mind. Even I'm starting to wonder just how sane I am.  
  
"Let's just drop it, okay?" I say, firmly ending the discussion. They just shrug and continue doing their own things.  
  
As a peaceful silence falls over us, I start thinking about the project, and smile secretively. It's going to be great. I just know it.  
  
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"I still can't believe you're not going to let me see it!" Yuna says, glaring at me as I grab my bag from my locker. "I have just as much right as you do. I am your partner, after all."  
  
I smile down at her and say nothing, which only annoys her further. The two of us begin walking down the hall together towards art class. Earlier that morning I dropped the project off with Professor Faradi and made sure it was locked up tight with everyone else's. Today I would finally be unveiling my masterpiece.  
  
Now that Yuna has made it clear that she means to stay friends with me and the gang, people don't stare at us when we walk together. Before it was some big shocker, and people would whisper and gossip about it. But now it seems that the news is old, and Yuna has established her place. She's becoming quite popular, since she's also been seen with Dona and her little clique.  
  
We enter the room side by side, while she's still muttering under her breath about 'the injustice of it all'.  
  
"Would you relax? I told you it'll be great. You have nothing to worry about," I say soothingly. She just sighs.  
  
"You'd better know what you're doing," she grumbles. I wink at her, which makes her smile a little.  
  
"When have I ever been anything but trustworthy, my dear Yuna?" I ask, elbowing her in the arm.  
  
"Don't call me that," she giggles, pinching me. "People will start getting ideas."  
  
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Nobody's going to get ideas from that. On the other hand, if I do THIS-"  
  
At that moment I lunge for her and scoop her up in my arms, holding her tightly to my chest. She squeals as I spin her around, unable to do anything but press her face against the side of my head. Her breath tickles my ear and ruffles my hair. I can feel her heart pounding with mine.  
  
"Tidus! Put me down!" she cries, trying not to laugh. The other people already in class are staring dumbly at us, unsure of what to think. I've never been this openly affectionate with her. I can't help but chuckle at their expressions. No doubt I've just spawned a new flame of gossip.  
  
Professor Faradi chooses that moment of all moments to make her entrance. She raises an eyebrow at me with Yuna giggling helplessly in my arms.  
  
"Mr. Lorac, please make an attempt to conceal your excitement. Kindly put Miss Ressan back on her feet," she says dryly. The other students snicker slightly, and I politely place Yuna on the ground again. Her face is ten shades redder than any beet I've seen, and I feel kind of bad for embarrassing her.  
  
As we make our way to our desk at the back of the class, she steals a quick glance at me. Her blush is fading, but I can see the smile on her lips, telling me that she's not mad. I grin back at her. We are the only two people at the back of our class, and more than once I've caught myself wondering just what kinds of things she and I could do together undetected . . .  
  
"Now, I know you're all very excited to unmask your presentations," Professor Faradi says, her eyes lingering on me for a second, "and I don't intend to waste anyone's time. We'll start with . . . Datto and Keepa."  
  
Impatiently, I sit through four other projects. Datto and Keepa did 'cityscapes', which was boring and unimpressive. The next pair did something about poverty. After them, someone did nature scenes on the beach. Then there was a project on birds.  
  
None of them could hold a candle to mine and Yuna's. I snigger to myself, causing Yuna to stare questioningly at me.  
  
"Let's have Tidus and Miss Yuna go next, shall we?" Faradi calls. I jump to my feet faster than lightening and immediately stride to the front of the class. I can tell by the looks people are giving me that they're afraid I've done something gross or shocking, like pictures of naked people or dead animal carcasses. Morons. Wait 'til they see what I've really got in store.  
  
I've arranged the photos on a white piece of cardboard that folds towards the middle, so that I could place all the pictures in the center and cover them with two folds. Yuna stands next to me as I place the cardboard on top of Faradi's desk at the front. She wipes her sweating palms on the sides of her khaki capris, and I can't help but wonder just how shy someone has to be to fear going up in front of a small art class.  
  
"Our project is entitled 'Friday Afternoon'," I begin dramatically. "Yuna, do the honours."  
  
She nods her head and slowly reaches out to pull open the folds. Her hands are shaking with eager nervousness. Then, after hesitating for one second, she pulls the two edges apart and stands back to reveal the center.  
  
There is a moment of dead silence. Yuna stares wide-eyed at it. Professor Faradi's coffee mug freezes an inch away from her open mouth. Then, a slow collective murmur starts rippling around the room.  
  
Our photos are black and white, but they are perfect, if I do say so myself. The lighting and shadows are perfect. The angles and poses are perfect. The expressions on our faces are perfect and natural. Using the editing program Paine showed me, I only filled in the colours of our eyes. My blue eyes and Yuna's mismatched ones.  
  
I enlarged my favourite picture and placed it right in the middle, so that it would be the first one noticed. It's the one of me sitting behind Yuna with my arms around her waist and my head on her shoulder. My legs are crossed beneath her, and her knees are drawn up. I have my eyes closed, with a peaceful expression on my face. She's tilting her head to the side so that it rests against mine, her eyes 'distant', as if she's looking at something far away.  
  
I remember when we posed for that shot. I remember how comfortable it was. After knowing Yuna for only two days, it had been completely relaxed and natural. We didn't even discuss the pose, or planned it out. It sort of happened on its own. She did not hesitate to crawl onto my lap, and my arms just automatically closed around her waist. Her shoulder was too comfortable for my head to ignore. She smelled like jasmine. I remember the smell of jasmine . . .  
  
The other pictures are gathered all around it, overlapping each other, but all clear enough to see. Yuna slowly turns around to stare at me, and I am surprised to see tears in her eyes. Her gaze locks onto me, and I can't look away. I count lots of different emotions in her face. Surprise, pleasure, wonder, gratitude . . . maybe even . . . no, no, of course not. I can't be seeing that . . .  
  
"You made me beautiful," she whispers, loud enough so that only I can hear it as I stand in front of her.  
  
"You did that on your own," I reply, smiling. She blinks away her tears and smiles back, returning her attention to the project. Professor Faradi begins clapping.  
  
"Tidus, Yuna, this is . . . fabulous! It's exquisite! The lighting, the poses, the idea of it . . . magnificent!" she says in an awed voice.  
  
"The idea of it?" I echo. "You mean . . . you understand what we were trying to do?"  
  
"I believe so," she says with a warm smile. She gestures to the photos, and then glances over her shoulder at the rest of the class. "I see two worlds joining together in these photos. I see two people moulding into one, regardless of their social class. I see . . . friendship. I see understanding."  
  
"That's it," Yuna says, nodding her head, grinning with pleasure. "That's exactly what we were trying to show."  
  
"You sure you didn't just want to see Tidus without a shirt on, Yuna?" a teasing voice calls from the back, sparking laughter.  
  
"Or maybe Tidus just wanted to show off!" someone else jibes. The smile dies on Yuna's lips, and she becomes uncomfortable. I bristle at the remarks and try to search out the owners of those voices, determined to make them pay.  
  
"None of that!" Faradi says sharply, silencing the laughter. "I want nobody insulting this piece of art. Regardless of the motives, I give this assignment an A."  
  
She begins clapping, beaming at us. I bow theatrically, and as I do so I nudge Yuna slightly and smile down at her, encouraging her to do the same. Slowly I see her lips move into my favourite grin, and she bows to the class next to me.  
  
--------------------------------  
  
When the bell rings at the end of class, Yuna and I are the last people to leave the class. Professor Faradi is in the back room, storing the projects, so the main classroom is empty.  
  
"Wait," Yuna says suddenly, grabbing my arm. I stop and look down at her questioningly. Before I can make any sort of response, she throws both her arms around my neck.  
  
"Thank you," she whispers. Her voice heats the side of my neck and I feel goosebumps rising on my skin at the feel of it. She always has this effect on me.  
  
"For what?" I reply, dazed.  
  
"For making the project so perfect."  
  
"Hey, you were in those pictures too, you know," I say, swallowing slightly. Gently I let my arms slip around her to return the hug.  
  
"Yes, but you were the genius behind it all. You . . . you really pulled it off, Tidus. I was very proud to be your partner."  
  
No matter how smart Yuna is, she will never know just how much impact those words have on me. Right at that moment I feel my self fall under her spell. I don't even want to try and fight it. Until now I always figured I just felt attracted to Yuna, and that there was nothing more to it.  
  
Now I know differently. I know that whatever it is I feel for her, it is much deeper than just attraction. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's there.  
  
When she pulls away from me, she winks and then walks out the door, pausing to wait for me to follow her. This whole encounter has me slightly stupefied. All I can do is walk beside her, silent, aware of every detail in her body next to mine. I catch the glimmer of light in her hair, the translucent glow of her skin, the smell of jasmine. Her elbow brushes against mine.  
  
'Get a grip on yourself,' my brain commands silently. 'Calm down!' It was never this awkward, not even when we had been taking the photographs at my place. It had been comfortable then, but now that I am suddenly preoccupied with new thoughts and feelings, I can't seem to relax around her.  
  
Damn stupid hormones. Damn stupid heart.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asks me suddenly. "You seem kind of distracted."  
  
"I-I'm fine. No worries," I lie, forcing myself to smile brightly at her. The answer seems to satisfy her, because she shrugs and grins back.  
  
I had believed that all I felt for her was a deep attraction. But now I know that I've been wrong the whole time. Whatever it is inside of me, it's there, and all it can think about is Yuna, making Yuna happy, seeing Yuna smile. I don't know what it is, but I can't escape it. I don't want to escape it. It puts a new spring in my step. It makes me quick to laugh and feel a strange sense of belonging.  
  
Somehow, I know for certain that this strangeness will never leave me, no matter what happens between me and Yuna in the future. 


	12. Not a Word to Father

I'm back, at least for another week. So, I must work like the dickens to get some more chapters going. Thanks as always for the patience and the reviews. Much appreciated as usual. Enjoy!

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YUNA

I don't know what I was expecting the project to look like. I never really questioned Tidus' ability to pull the whole thing off, but on the other hand, I wondered just how proper it was to show off photos of us so intimately posed together in front of a classroom of judging eyes. I was nervous, of course, but in a way I felt exhilarated. It felt as if Tidus and I were doing something special and unique. I suppose I'm just naturally afraid of trying new things. Now I'm glad I decided to trust Tidus' instincts.

I still remember the look on everyone's face when I unveiled our project, which until that moment had also been concealed from me. There was a general expression of shock, and then of course confusion. I saw amusement, uncertainty, satisfaction . . . I even saw a bit of anger, though I'm not sure why.

By the end of the day, Tidus and I are once again the subject of gossip. There are so many mixed opinions and theories about the photographs that I can barely keep any of them straight. So, for the sake of my mental health, I decide to ignore it as it swarms around me like a river of 'scandal'. Apparently Professor Faradi even told some of the other teachers, she was so impressed with our theme.

Tidus takes everything in stride, as he always does. When people buzz relentless questions at him, he just brushes them aside with a cold glare or a select choice of words.

I do note, however, that Dona's attitude towards me has become much more distant. Before, she would hug me tightly always link arms with me whenever she saw me. But today at lunch, when I walk towards her and her friends, she pretends not to see me and hastily draws her little group away before I can reach them.

Surprised and confused, I stop and watch as they chatter at each other, disappearing from me in the crowded hall. I know for a fact that Dona did see me approach. I caught the quick glance she threw at me over her shoulder. Why would she blatantly ignore me?

And then I realize that someone must have told her about the project, and understanding washes over me. I cannot help but feel somewhat hurt that Dona could be so quick to drop me simply because she feels threatened by my being friends with her ex-boyfriend. For there is no doubt in my mind that that's the reason for her spiteful behaviour. I don't understand her jealousy. I highly doubt Tidus would be interested in me when he could just as easily take Dona back.

I suddenly remember my new clothes that I bought with Dona and her friends a while back. I haven't even taken them out of their bags. For some odd reason, whenever I consider wearing one of my fresh new outfits to school, I become embarrassed and hesitant. I don't belong in clothes like that! They were made for girls who really had bodies to show off. I'm . . . far too plain. At least that's the way I see myself.

This morning I came close to finally leaving the house in a more revealing outfit, but when I saw myself in the mirror, I immediately ripped it off and changed to a more 'Yuna' look. Who knew clothes could be so complicated?

So, my clothes lie in wait for the moment when I finally overcome my silly superficial worries. Until then, I suppose I must content myself to merely blend in with the crowd. Still, part of me really does want to take a step outside wearing the clothes Dona wears. I wonder what people would think or say to see me walk into the building dressed like that. What would Tidus think?

With a frustrated sigh I turn around and head towards the parking lot. Usually Tidus and the gang hang out there at lunch, sometimes just to admire my Porsche. I've developed a habit of driving to school myself everyday, whereas before Auron used to drive me in the limousine. I don't want to cause a scene or anything by showing up in a limo, but then again, arriving to school in an expensive silver Porsche is any better.

Sure enough, they are standing there by my car, talking idly. I notice that they are all listening with concerned expressions as Paine speaks, but I cannot hear her words. Frowning I approach them.

"What's going on?" I ask. They turn to me with solemn faces rather than their usual cheerful greeting. Paine just sighs and shakes her head.

"Nothing," she says grimly. "I'm just . . . not sure what to do about Baralai."

I wince sympathetically. It has come to my attention, as well as the rest of the gang's, that Paine is greatly confused about her feelings for Baralai.

"Well . . . do you want to be with him?" I ask tentatively. She glares at me, the obvious stupidity of my question annoying her.

"Of course I do," she snaps, running her fingers through her silver hair. "But it's more complicated than that, Yuna."

"There's Nooj to consider," Tidus tells me with a heavy sigh. I blink at them all, confused.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Baralai is a part of Nooj's gang, remember?" Lulu tells me, slipping an arm around her twin's shoulders. "After what happened to Tidus, we're not sure exactly what to think about him. He was a part of that attack, but then again, he didn't necessarily hurt Tidus."

"But . . . if he didn't hurt Tidus, what's the big deal?" I ask, still not fully sure I understand the problem. Paine rolls her eyes with exasperation and Gippal gives me a stony glance.

"Look," he says impatiently. "I know you don't go through any of the shit we do, Yuna, but don't pretend you understand what we're going through. Where we come from, the gang is everything. It comes first before anything else. If Paine decided to go with Baralai, that could get in the way of her responsibilities with us. Plus, Baralai could get his ass kicked for being with her too. Got it, Princess?"

I flinch at his tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Hey," Tidus cuts in, glaring at Gippal. "Cut her some slack, all right? It's not her fault she doesn't know the rules of the game."

"Rules? Game?" I say indignantly. "I may be 'sheltered' from your experiences, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I know that you guys would never hold Paine back from something that could make her happy. I know that Baralai is probably willing to risk everything to be with her. Paine, I saw the way he looked at you that day. I saw the way you were looking at him! Don't you forget what's really important to you. I know the gang means a lot to you, but you have a chance for something really great! Take it!"

They are stunned for a second, but I am not finished.

"I can't believe the way you guys are talking. You make the gang sound like some sort of no-return cult! Paine won't leave you, we all know that. So what if she's with Baralai at the same time? Are you going to hold her back against her will? Would you keep her tied to the gang at the cost of her happiness? Isn't she like a sister to you all?" I demand, hands on my hips. The last question was directed mostly at Tidus, since Lulu is a given.

Paine steps towards me so that her nose is almost touching mine. Her eyes are blazing. I swallow nervously at her expression.

"It's not that simple," she hisses. Before I can say anything back, she sidesteps me and swiftly walks away, fists shoves into her pockets, shoulders hunched.

The rest of the gang is staring at me. Tidus runs his fingers through his hair and whistled through his teeth.

"I know you're only trying to help, Yuna," he tells me understandingly. "But I just don't think you understand. We would never even think of holding Paine back, but Nooj is another story. If he knew Baralai was with someone from our gang, I hate to think what he would do to him. If he got hurt, Paine would be hurt too. And you're right . . . she is like a sister to me. I'd hate to see her sad."

His words sober me slightly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so presumptuous," I say quietly. "Of course this is hard for Paine. It's hard for everyone."

To break the stillness that suddenly falls over us, Rikku pipes up suddenly. She always ends our uncomfortable silences.

"Hey, Yunie, we heard your project with Tidus was a huge hit! You'll be the center of the gossip ring again, eh?" she says teasingly, elbowing me in the side. I smile and laugh, and Tidus just blushes.

"Ya, maybe you and I could take some pictures like that together, huh, Lulu?" Wakka says with a mischievous grin at the black mage. She raises a delicately arched eyebrow and rolls her eyes.

"So, Tidus, what's the plan for today?" she asks to change the subject. Tidus strokes his chin thoughtfully.

"No idea," he says at last with a shrug. "Jecht's going to be home all weekend, drunk as usual, so my place isn't an option. Anyone got some ideas?"

"My place is being sprayed for bugs," Wakka groans, wrinkling his nose. "We've got termites everywhere."

"Well, my old man's got the house full of people," Rikku says with an even heavier groan. "Damn relatives again. I'd do anything to get away from them."

"Mom's in one of her 'moods' again," Lulu explains helplessly. "She's not in a very hospitable frame of mind right now, even though she loves the gang like her own kids." I was informed that Lulu and Paine's mother has chronic depression, and often lapses into her dark dispositions. She is apparently not the best of company during these periods.

Gippal shakes his head. "My grandparents don't want you guys crowding the apartment. They say the neighbours complain about the noise too much, and it sets off my gramp's migraines."

"I have an idea," I blurt out. "My father's out of town at Djose, and he'll be gone until Monday night. Maybe you could all come to my place for a while?"

The second these impulsive words leave my mouth, I feel like throwing myself into traffic. Why, WHY did I have to say that? Of all things, I should know better! Even though Lord Braska's gone, Auron and Belgemine will still be there, and will most likely reveal everything to my father upon his arrival home! I will be punished within an inch of my life! Instantly I mentally start scrambling to correct myself and come up with an excuse to keep them away, but I already see their eyes lighting up at the prospect, and my resolve is slowly fading away.

"Wow, you mean we'd be in a mansion?" Rikku breathes wondrously.

"Like . . . a rich person's home?" Wakka stammers. Gippal and Tidus are already grinning hugely, and Lulu nods in approval of the idea. I smile weakly at them.

"Well . . . why not?" I say, feeling sick to my stomach. NO! STOP! BACKPADDLE! U-TURN!

"So it's settled! You're place, after school," Tidus says authoritively, beaming at me gratefully.

"Can we crash there overnight?" Gippal asks eagerly.

"Perhaps . . ." I reply, making some vague gesture in hopes that the answer might satisfy them.

Then, quite suddenly, the topic is mercifully changed once again. I stand stock still amidst the gang as they talk around me, my mind refusing to follow the conversation.

Sweet Yevon, what have I gotten myself into?

------------------------------------------------

After quickly excusing myself from class to 'go to the bathroom', I grab my cell phone from my purse and stand in the girls' washroom to make my call.

"Auron? It's Yuna," I say in a hushed voice, as if worried someone might be listening.

"What is it, Yuna? Why are you whispering?" he asks me on the other end.

"I don't know," I say in response to his second question, neutralizing the volume of my voice once more. "Listen, I've done something incredibly stupid and I don't have the heart to go back on it. I desperately need your help."

"Tell me happened, and I'll do my best," he says, in that calm trusting voice of his.

"Okay. I . . . sort of . . . invited Tidus Lorac and his friends over to the house for the weekend, since Father's out of town." I hear stunned silence on Auron's end of the line, and I quickly take advantage of it. "I know that it was very careless and irresponsible of me, but Auron, they're my friends, and I can't go back on my word to them! Please, PLEASE promise me you and Bel won't tell Father about this. You know how upset he was before, but if he finds out he'll kill me!"

"You realize how unbelievably deceitful this is?" he asks me coldly.

"I do, and I'm so sorry to drop this on you now on such short notice," I say, rubbing my eyes in agitation.

"You also realize that you're asking me to lie to my oldest friend for an impulsive teenager desperate to impress her friends?"

Something about that statement angers me, but now is not the time to talk back.

"Yes," I reply meekly.

"And that I would be allowing a gang of hooligans into the house?"

"Yes, Auron."

I hear him give a prolonged sigh into the receiver.

"You are so damn lucky I can't say no to you, kiddo," he says grudgingly. "I'll talk to Bel about it, and we'll do our best to keep our mouths shut."

I feel like sobbing with relief. If he was standing right in front of me, I would throw my arms around him and smother him with kisses.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK you!" I laugh, jumping up once in my excitement.

"But let me warn you, Yuna," he says sternly, cutting me off. I stop smiling to listen gravely. "If anything . . . ANYTHING . . . goes wrong, I'm going straight to Braska. If your friends break or damage anything, they're gone. If they make a mess in the house, they're gone. If they try to steal anything, they're gone. It'll be YOUR job to cover this whole thing up. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, of course. I understand perfectly, and I swear I won't let anything happen. They're not wild criminals, you know. They'll behave," I tell him, doing my best to give him my sweetest and most agreeable tone.

"You owe me big time, kiddo," he tells me. I can already tell that he is in disbelief at his own judgement. I smile into the phone.

"Tell me about it. I'll make it up to you later, okay?"

"I'll hold you to it."

"I know."

"I'll pick you guys up after school and later I'll grab your Porsche."

"Thank you so much. Bye, dear accomplice!"

"Hmmph."

He hangs up, and I spend a few seconds doing a happy dance in the middle of the bathroom. A girl walks in and stops, staring warily at me, but I only grin back and wave at her. She smiles back hesitantly and edges her way to the nearest stall, eyeing me worriedly. I hurry back out into the hall towards my class, feeling as though a great weight has left my shoulders. I have full confidence in Auron and Bel's confidentiality. As long as they have anything to do with it, I know my father will never hear a peep about this whole thing.

-----------------------------

"Oh, dude!" Gippal laughs. We all turn to follow his gaze at the parking lot and watch as the black limousine pulls up in front of us. I smile and walk over to the window. Auron lowers it and smirks at me, nodding once. Then I turn around and gesture for everyone to hop inside. Paine was quickly filled in on our plans, and she seemed eager to forgive me for the way I spoke to her earlier today.

Almost hesitantly they approach the limo, having never even been near one before. I open the door and stand aside for them to climb in. There is more than enough room for us all to nestle in comfortably.

Once inside, Rikku, Gippal, and Wakka begin busily examining every luxury in the limo, from the small bar (for my father) to the telephone to the DVD player near the front with the wide-screen TV. Lulu and Paine are admiring the leather seats, and Tidus, sitting next to me, is just staring in wonder at everything.

"This is . . . something I never expected to happen to me," he tells me honestly, chuckling slightly at the whole situation. He stretches his legs out in the vast space before him and sighs comfortably. I smile and squeeze his hand over his knee understandingly and turn to look out the window at the passing scenery.

It is going to be an interesting weekend.


	13. Busted

Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy chapter 13, I had fun writing it. ;)

TIDUS

I don't think my jaw has closed itself yet. From the moment we walk into the front door of Yuna's mansion, my chin nearly hits the floor. I never imagined I could be standing in a place like this . . .

"Holy shit," I breathe, turning around in small circles to get a look at everything. Rikku and Gippal are clinging to each other's arms, turning their heads this way and that wildly, desperate to take in all the sights. Paine and Lulu are dumbfounded.

Yuna stands awkwardly beside Sir Auron at the door, letting us drink in the place. Somewhere, someone is playing classical music loud enough to hear throughout the house. The floors are white marble in the main hall, and there is a gigantic crystal chandelier hanging over our heads. In front of us, there's a huge spiral staircase leading up a cylinder stairwell against a huge diamond-paned window that seems to take up the whole back wall.

"Welcome to the Ressan Manor," Yuna says, her face red with embarrassment. Auron is smirking at us, obviously proud and amused at our reactions.

"Can we have a tour?" I ask, still staring around me. She nods and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm going into town for the night to give you guys some privacy. Bel's out visiting her mother. Listen very carefully kids," Sir Auron says in a threatening voice. We all turn around to stare at him, and again I can't shake the feeling that I met him somewhere before. Of course I know him from the stories . . . after all, Auron's as famous as Lord Braska! But it feels like I knew him on a more personal level.

"This place is filled with surveillance cameras. Now, I've promised Yuna I'd keep this whole thing a secret, so I'm going to destroy the tapes when you all leave. But if anything . . .ANYTHING . . . goes wrong because of you, I'm showing the tapes to Lord Braska and I will leave your fate in his hands. And trust me, that is not something to take lightly. Got it?"

We nod seriously, knowing well enough not to lip off a guy like Sir Auron.

"Good. Don't do anything stupid, and for the love of Yevon, stay out of each other's pants," he adds. Yuna cries out indignantly, while the rest of us try not to snicker.

"Auron! My goodness, that was completely unnecessary of you!" she says, hands on her hips. He just shrugs.

"Have fun, kids!" the bodyguard says, ignoring her statement.

He nods at us all and pats Yuna's arm before heading outside again, closing the thick oak doors behind him.

As soon as he leaves, Rikku starts twirling around under the chandelier, smiling ridiculously wide, her green eyes closed in fantasy.

"I feel like a queen!" she says with a happy sigh. Yuna laughs and begins leading us into the next room for the tour.

"Trust me Rikku, the novelty wears off after a while," she says with a wink.

"No way! Not for delinquents like us," Wakka says, casually inspecting some antique jewellery behind a glass case. I catch his eye and shake my head warningly, making it clear that we are to behave, and we're not to steal anything.

The tour lasts a lot longer than I expected; I didn't think a house could have so many goddamn rooms. Even so, we've only covered the west wing of the house, and there's still a lot more to see. Wisely, Yuna decides to stop for a while.

". . . And this is my room," she says, coming to a stop at the end of a long hallway. I perk up slightly, pleased to know that we're about to step into her 'private chambers'.

"Man, it's about time!" Gippal pants, bending over to rest his hands on his knees. Rikku is positioned the same way. "You sure this place doesn't take up half the goddamn city?"

"If you'd cut back on smoking, you wouldn't be so out of breath," Yuna replies teasingly. He scowls at her, but both he and Rikku can't think of anything to say back.

Yuna pushes the door open and steps aside to allow room for us. We file in one at a time, and I immediately start to regret not doing our photography project here instead.

The word I could use to describe it is 'picturesque', like a scene you'd find in a home decor magazine or something. The walls are bright magnolia white, almost glowing, and one whole wall is taken up by floor-to-ceiling windows that have been left open to let in the breeze. White gauze curtains are fluttering around from the wind. I notice a pair glass doors that lead out to a small balcony overlooking the city off in the distance. There a huge canopy king-sized bed with white blankets and pillows that oddly remind me of marshmallows. Across the room from the four-post bed is a vanity mirror and desk, and off to the side is a tall bookcase placed next to a white lounge chair. There is a small glass chandelier overhead, and a walk-in closet that is probably big enough for a whole family to live in comfortably. Here and there, Yuna has set up exotic looking plants to bring a bit of colour into the room.

"Swanky," Wakka says, nodding with approval. Rikku and Gippal immediately hurry across the room and leap onto the bed, jumping up and down like little kids. Before long, Wakka and I join them, and the four of us suddenly find ourselves knocking into each other, laughing hysterically. The bed is soft and springy, and I feel like I'm jumping on a cloud. As far as I'm concerned, it's a pretty damn good way to feel.

"Is this living or what?!" I yell, narrowly avoiding a nasty collision with Gippal.

Wakka takes a hold of Lulu's hand and drags her up with us, and Rikku pulls Paine up as well. At first the twins protest, but it's only a matter of seconds before they start goofing around with the rest of us. Yuna stands nearby, smiling up at us with a delighted glint in her eye. I reach down and grab her around the waist and haul her up, grinning as she squirms and laughs in my arms.

As is bound to happen, I of course lose my balance and fall down on the mattress, still holding onto Yuna around her hips. She gasps as she lands on top of me, her hair tickling my face. I lie panting under her, and start to laugh at the expression on her face. She looks horrified at our position, but I quite enjoy the feel of her thigh pressed against my groin. Nobody else pays any attention, too preoccupied with their own fun.

"Sorry," she mutters, her face turning crimson. She tries to roll away, but I tighten my hold on her and flip her over onto her back. Before she can even react in self defence, I pin her down and start tickling her sides.

"NO!" she squeals, giggling uncontrollably, "Tidus, stop! No, stop, I beg you!"

Pretty soon, the idea spreads, and the tickle-fest begins.

Some time later, the seven of us are lying disorderly on Yuna's giant bed, out of breath and weak from laughter. Early evening sunlight pours in from the windows, flooding the room in a golden glow. We're all overlapping each other half-hazardly, but nobody seems all that interested in moving. Especially me.

Yuna is lying right next to me, her head nestled in the crook of my arm, one leg stretched across my thighs, her arm over my stomach. I have one arm around her shoulders, and the other is resting over her arm. Wakka is on her other side, his back against hers, cradling Lulu in one arm while the other is tucked under his head. Gippal is spooning Rikku, and they're both curled up together in a foetal position, while Paine is lying relaxed at Gippal's back, which happens to be right at my feet. She allows me to place my feet over her stomach.

"I could stay here forever," Lulu says sleepily, her words muffled against Wakka's chest. We all grunt in response, and Yuna sighs against me. The heat of her breath, oddly enough, gives me goosebumps.

Before I realize it, my eyelids start getting heavier and heavier. I turn my face to settle Yuna's hair and breathe in her scent, letting myself fall asleep without even caring.

A few hours go by when I start to return to awareness. My eyes flicker open and I lift my head up, for a moment forgetting where I am. After a lifetime of waking up to stare at a water-stained, cracked ceiling in a tiny bed, it comes to me as a shock to find myself in the most comfortable bed in the world staring at a glistening chandelier. Then I see my friends around me, also asleep, and the memories come back in a rush. I smile and let my head sink back to the pillow.

Wait a second . . .

I open my eyes again, and realize with a start that Yuna is not sleeping next to me the way she was when I dozed off. The bed feels strangely empty without her, and a frown, confused at her absence. Where did she go? How long have we all been lying here? I glance at the nearest window and see that the sun has only just set, and the sky is barely even dark. The clock says it's not even seven in the evening.

Suddenly the door opens, and I see Yuna's silhouette against the hall light. She is wearing fitted jeans and a form-hugging yellow t-shirt, and I can see the gentle curves of her body. I sit up from the mattress and blink at her in the light.

"Where did you go?" I ask, not bothering to keep my voice down. The gang stirs, and gradually they all start to wake up.

"What the fuck . . .?" Gippal groans, obviously not remembering where he is.

"Yuna, what is it?" Lulu asks, smothering a yawn. Yuna has a bizarre look on her face, a mixture of fear, disbelief, excitement, and triumph. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are glowing. Damn, she's gorgeous . . .

"I destroyed the surveillance tapes," she says in a small voice. It takes a moment for her words to sink in. There is a second of dead silence before the gang erupts with cheers. We leap off the bed and swarm around her, wrapping her up in a giant hug.

"Way to go Yuna!" Wakka laughs, ruffling her hair like a kid sister.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Princess!" Rikku says with a proud grin.

"You're serious?" Paine asks, staring at her with amazement.

"Yes," Yuna admits, slowly starting to look more and more pleased with her idea. Suddenly her face falls, and she bites her lip anxiously. "Oh dear, was it wrong of me? My father will be-"

"To hell with your dad!" I yell, lifting her up above everyone else. She yelps with surprise and clings to me. "Yuna, you're a genius!"

"What did you do to the tapes?" Lulu asks her, shaking her head wondrously.

"Trash compactor," Yuna replies simply, not needing to elaborate.

"Girl, you are just full of surprises," Gippal says with a satisfied smirk, clapping his hands slowly. "Why'd you do it?"

"I . . . I really don't know. I guess I didn't think about it," she says slowly, letting one arm slip around my neck, since I'm still holding onto her. I'm rather content to let it stay there. "It just seems a little unfair that we have to be videotaped having fun, that's all."

"Well, we're all proud of you," I tell her, setting her back down on her feet. "You fought for a worthy cause."

She smiles sheepishly at us and clasps her hands behind her back.

"I was almost tempted to just dump all the tapes into the pool," she says with a soft giggle. "Just to see the look on Father's face when he comes home!"

Rikku stiffens.

"You have a pool?" the Al Bhed girl demands.

"Yes, of cour- Oh! I haven't shown you all the rest of the house yet, have I? The pool is in the East Wing. Well, the indoor pool, that is," Yuna replies.

"Why didn't you say so earlier, Yunie?" Rikku asks with an aggravated sigh.

"I suppose I just forgot," Yuna stammers, clearly sorry.

"That's okay. There's no better time to swim than at night, after all," I say to her, saving her from discomfort. Rikku can be pretty intimidating when she wants to be.

"You . . . you mean you all want to swim now? But you haven't packed any swimsuits! In fact, none of you packed anything at all . . ."

"Psssht," Gippal snorts, rolling his eyes at her. "Who needs swimsuits? I say we go for a good old fashioned skinny dip!"

His enthusiastic idea is greeted by cold silence. He frowns at us.

"Fine, then," he mutters, folding his arms over his chest. Paine goes over to Yuna's walk in closet and peers inside. She leans back out and raises an eyebrow at us.

"The swimsuit issue won't affect us girls," she says in her lukewarm voice. "Yuna seems to have her own personal clothing store in here. You guys can just go in your boxers."

"Ooh, let me see what you have, Yunie!" Rikku says eagerly, hurrying over to step inside the closet. Lulu glides over to take a look as well. She shrugs and nods agreeably, and then turns around to face the men.

"Out, males," she orders firmly. Wakka and Gippal start protesting, but like the gentleman I secretly am, I drag them outside to give the girls privacy. Yuna still looks somewhat baffled at our sudden idea. I guess spontaneity is not something she's used to in this house. Or guys in their underwear.

We wait out in the hallway, me somewhat impatiently. I am rather interested to see what Yuna looks like in a bathing suit . . .

Rikku is the first to emerge, dressed in a pink bikini. The top covers more of her chest than Rikku is used to covering, but it seems to suit her. It's one of the more tasteful things I've seen her wear. Gippal eyes her appreciatively, and she flashes him a wink and a smile.

Lulu comes out next in a dark crimson bikini, but the top seems to be a little bit too small for her. After all, Lulu is quite blessed in that particular area, and Yuna does not match her . . . build. I can literally see Wakka's heart skip a beat at the sight of her, and I must say she looks damn fine.

Paine joins us out in the hallway wearing a dark grey tank top and black shorts she borrowed from Yuna. Even though she's hiding a lot more than Rikku and Lulu, none of us have ever seen Paine wearing so little, and I can't help but wonder what Baralai would think to see her like that. I myself see nothing to complain about.

At last Yuna appears in the doorway, and I nearly faint on the spot at the sight of her.

Yuna is wearing a dark blue bikini top along with denim cut-off shorts, and I must say I did not realize that she had such a great body. I knew she was in good shape and all, but as I stare now, I can see a trace of abs on her stomach and a bit of wiry muscle on her arms and legs. She looks a bit nervous under our stares, and I'm assuming she only ever wears bathing suits in the privacy of her home alone, never out in public or in front of other people. I start to wonder just how Yuna ever became so shy. I can think of dozens of girls who would kill to look like her.

"The pool is this way," she tells us, after clearing her throat uncomfortably. She leads us down the hall, and I cannot tear my eyes away from her rear end in front of me. Gippal was right: this girl is just full of surprises.

It's a long walk from Yuna's room to the pool, but thankfully the journey doesn't involve going up a flight of stairs like last time.

The pool room has a cave like atmosphere, since it has no windows and is designed to look like authentic stone. The walls are a dark grey granite, and the only light provided comes from the fluorescent glow coming from the underwater lights. The pool itself is shaped like a natural stone lake, and it could have fooled anyone if it wasn't for the bright aqua-marine colour of the water. Eerily, the water is reflecting off the stone walls, making the whole room feel dream-like. I catch myself glancing at Yuna to my side, noting how the light is also dancing off her face and hair. She looks unreal.

I walk to the edge of the pool and dip my foot in to test the water; not to my surprise, it's bathwater warm.

"Hey, guys," I say, beginning to turn around, "the water's perfe- WOAH!"

I am interrupted by Yuna hurling herself at me, catching me around the waist and shoving me into the pool. Instinctively I grab her and haul her in after me, sucking in a quick breath before plunging in.

I open my eyes underwater and see Yuna floating in front of me, grinning evilly. She is holding onto my by the hands, and I can see the whiteness of her teeth flashing at me. The blue lighting makes her look like some beautiful ghost, especially the way her hair swirls around her face. I grin back and push myself up to the surface only to find the rest of the gang is standing along the edge of the pool, laughing at me. I smile innocently and grab Wakka by the arm, who in turn grabs Lulu, who grabs Paine, who grabs Rikku, who then grabs Gippal, and I watch as one by one they all topple into the water like dominos.

Yuna is killing herself laughing, which is hard to do when she's also treading water.

"You think I haven't forgotten your little joke?" I demand of her, beginning to glide towards her. She shrieks and back paddles to get away from me, but I am the stronger swimmer after all those blitz lessons from years ago. I catch her easily and drag her underwater with me. I like the feel of her struggling against me, the softness of her in my arms. I'm holding onto her from behind, my arms around her waist, my face against the back of her neck.

Suddenly she stops struggling, and turns her head to look at me over her shoulder. She's not smiling anymore, but she looks . . . I dunno what the word is . . . she looks sort of thoughtful and peaceful at the same time. I offer her a quick grin, which she returns a little, and I notice with faint surprise that she lets her arms settle over mine.

I kick up to the surface again, taking her with me. Wakka is chasing Lulu, who is threatening to throw a Water spell at him if he doesn't stop (even though she looks like she's enjoying herself). Paine and Rikku are trying to steal Gippal's boxers by having one of them distract him while the other swims around behind him to pants him.

Yuna and I are still floating together, my arms around her.

"Have I stolen your heart as well as your breath, my lady?" I ask her in a low voice, trying to sound as sexy as I can. I'm rather glad no one else can hear us. I feel Yuna's heart pounding, and I wonder if she can feel mine pounding just as hard.

She pulls away from me and smiles then, breaking the intensity of the moment. I grin back, but it's a weak attempt. I can't help feeling more than a little disappointed when she goes off to help Rikku and Paine harass Gippal.

Rikku is sitting between me and Gippal on the couch, the popcorn hovering just beyond her lips. Her eyes are fixed to the huge flatscreen TV set, not even blinking. She's always like that whenever we watch horror movies.

Yuna is sitting on the carpet in front of me next to Lulu. Paine is on my other side and Wakka is at the very end of the couch next to Gippal, snoring quietly. He can never stay awake through any movie, even scary ones. I'm willing to bet money that Wakka has the attention span of a goldfish.

"Look out! Don't go in there, the murderer's waiting for you!" Rikku cries, dropping her popcorn to cover her eyes with her hands. Gippal and I exchange glances, rolling our eyes at her. Yuna turns around and rests a gentle hand on Rikku's knee.

"Don't worry, Rikku, this isn't a scary part," she tells her kindly. Rikku drops her hands to stare at the screen, confused.

"Really, but I thought- OH SHIT!" she shrieks, turning to bury her face in Gippal's shoulder as the murderer jumps out, decapitating his victim with one swing of his scythe. "Yunie, that was too a scary part!"

Yuna, along with the rest of us, is laughing wickedly. I give Yuna a high five.

"Aw, come on Rikku, you need to calm down. It's just a movie," I say, nudging her with my elbow. She lifts her head up to glare at me.

"Oh yeah?" she says challengingly. I don't have time to duck before she whacks me in the face with one of the couch cushions. Whooping with surprise I fall back and land on Paine's lap, who in turn attacks Rikku with another cushion.

It is not long before everyone is attacking someone else with a lethal pillow in hand. All of a sudden, the pillow in my hand explodes upon impact with Wakka's head, and white feathers go flying everywhere. There is a second of dead silence before laughter erupts once again, and the fight continues. Even Yuna doesn't seem to care about her pillow. Pretty soon, the whole room is filled with swirling white feathers as each pillow eventually splits open.

"YUNA RESSAN!"

Everything stops the second we hear that angry voice rings out from the doorway. We all turn around, to see Lord Braska standing there, his face twisted with angry shock.


	14. The Stand

Ah, thanks for the reviews! You people are awesome. I'm not completely sure I am all that satisfied with this chapter though . . . but we'll see! Well, enjoy chapter 14.

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YUNA

I think for a second that my heart has actually stopped. Almost numb with shock, I slowly turn around and see my father standing there, and never have I seen him more furious. The white feathers are still floating around us, even though all activity has come to a complete halt, and the world feels utterly still.

"Father . . ." I whisper, my mouth alarmingly dry. "You're . . . you're home early." I can think of nothing else to say. It's as if my brain has shut down.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he thunders, storming further into the room and ignoring my lame statement. I take a step away from him and nearly back into Tidus' chest. "I demand an explanation!"

"I . . . we-"

"WELL?!"

"Sir," Tidus says calmly behind me. I turn around to stare up at him, seeing him swallow somewhat nervously. Still, I am relieved to see that he is keeping his face relaxed. "We were just leaving."

"You're damn right you are!" Father snarls, narrowing his eyes at Tidus. "Does your father know you're here, boy?"

Tidus blinks with surprise, puzzled by my father's question. It hits me then that Tidus has no idea our fathers know each other.

"Well, thanks for coming, guys!" I say quickly, forcing a shaky smile for the gang. I can feel my father's murderous glare burning holes in my back. "I'll see you guys on Monday at school." They all understand the emphatic look I am giving them, making it painfully clear that the sleepover is . . . well . . . over.

Meekly they all file past me, carefully avoiding my father. I never expected to see such a tough, confident group of people look so fearful because of one middle aged man. Then again, my father can be remarkably intimidating when he wants to be. As Tidus walks by, he leans towards me and quickly whispers,

"I had a total blast."

Somehow these simple words soothe me, and I feel the roots of strength growing inside. Tidus gives me a discreet wink and leaves the room last behind the gang.

For eternal seconds, my father and I wait until we hear the front door close. It takes a long time, and not once do Father's smouldering gaze leave my face. I try to stare back evenly, but I falter many times.

"Father, please listen to me," I say, speaking so fast my words are barely understandable. "I know it was wrong of me, I know I disobeyed you, but nothing happened! I'll replace the pillows myself, I promise. I'm sorry-"

Yuna," he says, cutting me off sharply. "What is it going to take with you? I have tried everything imaginable to make myself as clear as possible. Yet time and time again you disappoint me with your lack of care, your defiance!"

"No, father, it's not defiance! They are my friends, and-"

"Friends?" he snaps, interrupting me again. "Friends?! Yuna, they are ghetto scum! They are not worthy to be seen with you. Why associate with them when you are entirely capable of joining more honourable company?"

"They are honourable enough," I reply, struggling to keep my voice under control. "I am not ashamed to be with them. They are the only people I have any interest in."

"Don't be ridiculous, what about that Guado boy, Seymour? He's a suitable young man. A tie with him could make you very powerful," my father tells me in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't care. He's a rude, disrespectful person and I would rather spend time with diseased prostitutes than him!" I tell him, forgetting to select my words carefully.

"What sort of filth have those hooligans been poisoning you with?" he demands, outraged. "I will not stand here and allow you to spew such slanderous insults about our friends, the Guados!"

"And I will not stand here and let you speak so wrongly of my friends. If you got to know them you wouldn't be acting so foolish and bigoted!" I retort, wanting more than anything to fly at this infuriating man and slap him senseless.

"How dare you talk to me that way!" he growls, his eyes blazing. I nearly flinch with fear at his expression, but thankfully my face remains hard. "That's it. You are not to hang about those thugs ever again! I am going to have Auron check in on you during the day at school, every day! If I hear of you walking around in their company, I will pull you out of public school and have you home schooled."

"You can't do that!" I gasp in protest, my eyes widening. "Auron will never agree to do it!"

"He will if I threaten to fire him for allowing you to have all those ruffians in my house," Father says in a dangerous tone.

"That's . . . that's not fair! I-I made him promise, he was just being loyal to me! Father, he's your oldest friend, please don't punish him for this," I plead, my voice cracking slightly.

"I am afraid it is the price you both must pay. I would rather have my best friend fired than see my daughter in the midst of violent street trash-"

"Oh Braska, stop it!" I cry, stamping my foot in anger. "Just stop it! Shut up, for once!"

He is stunned into silence. I have never called him by any other name than Father before.

Rage pulses through me. I have felt rage before, yes, but never with such force. Never have I felt a greater desire to hurt my father than I do now. It takes every ounce of strength in my body to keep myself rooted to the spot.

At last he opens his mouth to speak, but I speak first.

"No," I say harshly, holding my hand up. "No, you listen to me. I have spent my whole life trying to please you. I have never questioned you or fought you. I have never disobeyed you or dishonoured you in anyway; all that, until now. Yes, it was wrong of me to go behind your back, and I'm sorry. But I am sick and tired of trying to please you, only to have you say it's not good enough. I am sick and tired of having to stare at your back and beg for forgiveness when . . . when you don't even listen to me, or act like I'm there!"

At this point my voice cracks again, and I feel hot tears burn my eyes. I don't even care if I start crying like a child now.

"But now . . . now that I am actually happy, you can't stand it! It-it's like you are trying even harder to make me miserable. All I want is to be friends with them! That's all I want. I care about them, and they care about me too. W-why is that so hard for you to accept? Why am I such a-a failure to you? Can't you just be glad that I-I have friends now?" I lower my voice slightly, feeling the tears slide down my cheeks.

Again he opens his mouth to say something, his face a mask of astonishment, but I feel another surge of anger.

"QUIET!" I scream, my own voice startling me. "I am not finished talking! I won't be bullied anymore, Braska, I won't stand another second of it. You can try to punish me all you want, and you can threaten to fire Auron if you are cruel and vicious enough to stoop so low, but understand this: I will not cave in to you. I am not some spineless little child! I am my own person, and nobody is going to tell me what to do. Not you, not anybody!"

There is a deathly silence in the room, almost unbearably tense. I feel slightly winded by my angry speech, but I mean every word of it. I am not his prisoner anymore.

"What . . . are you going to do?" he asks me. I can still hear a hard edge to his voice, but he is fighting to keep it at bay.

"Anything I want," I reply coldly.

"Yuna, you're welfare has always been my number one priority-"

"Give it a rest, Braska," I snap, looking away from him. "You were never like a father to me. Auron loved and respected me more than you ever did."

I am mildly surprised to see him wince, as if I had slapped him. For a moment I contemplate taking back that last comment, but I stubbornly hold my tongue. For the first time in my life I feel in control. I feel equal, if not superior to him.

"You couldn't even look at me," I tell him, my voice deceitfully calm. "You couldn't even look your own daughter in the eye, when I wanted you to so badly. I-I wanted you to see me as your little girl, not some burden that killed your wife. Why? Why couldn't you do that for me, just once?"

He swallows heavily and tears his eyes away from me, sighing shakily. But he does not say anything. He only stands there, staring down at the floor, hands limp at his sides. Some of his brown hair falls over his forehead, shadowing his eyes. Never has my father looked so old as he does now . . . so fragile.

I sniff slightly and wipe my eyes dry. Putting the steel back in my voice, I break the horrible quiet between us.

"Good night, Braska," I say smoothly, brushing past him. It is obvious we are to do no more talking for now. I pause at the doorway of the living room and turn around. He is still standing there, motionless, his back to me. And then I am gone, marching as fast as I can, desperate to lock myself in my room for as long as time will allow.

0000000000

I lie awake and stare at the canopy over my bed. The clock in my room says it is almost midnight, but I don't feel one bit sleepy. All I can think about is the words I said to my father, those awfully thrilling words. Part of me feels free, liberated . . . and the other part is wracked with guilt. I should be more grateful to my father. I shouldn't have been so horrible to him, after I disobeyed him like that.

Still, I cannot lie. I am not sorry that I invited Tidus and his gang over, at least not anymore. I had more fun tonight than any other night in my life, and I owe it all to them. My face tingles with a deep blush as I remember swimming in the pool, when Tidus had his arms around me, those wonderfully teasing things he said to me.

(Have I stolen your breath as well as your heart, my lady?)

I cannot help but smile in the darkness. Yes, Tidus, you have stolen my heart and my breath. I know that now. Maybe I've always known . . .

It cannot be love, but it feels stronger than some silly crush. I can't decide what it really is, but I don't think I truly care anymore. I am going to stop analyzing this feeling. All that matters is that it's there, and it feels great. I feel great whenever I'm with him.

The house is so quiet, so deathly still. I've always wondered what the mansion reminded me of, and now it comes to me. It reminds me of a corpse, a stiff, cold, silent corpse. I shudder and pull the blankets tighter around me as if warding off a draft of wind.

It is quite obvious that I am not going to get any sleep tonight, at least not for a long time. With a heavy sigh a throw my covers back and stand up, moving noiselessly from the bed.

After a while of aimless pacing, I head out onto the balcony, dressed only in my white nightgown. I love the view from here . . . the city lights look so beautiful and distant, like faraway candles. One thing I really like about living here is that it never snows. Every night is as blissfully hot as the middle of summer, and even the rain is warm. It is strangely comforting to know that in the heart of the city, Tidus and his gang are sleeping peacefully. Well, perhaps they're out at a party or club, or maybe they are downtown causing trouble. I smile at the thought. I really shouldn't support such behaviour, but I cannot help it!

Oh, how I envy them and their simple freedom. I was born with every worldly possession anyone could possibly desire, yet the one thing I want most is to be rid of it!

I shake my head at myself. Who am I kidding? I am far too pampered to live by any other means than the one I am so accustomed to. Still, it would be a nice change to get out and live in the real world, just for a while at least.

And quite suddenly, an idea hits me. It comes to me so quickly I almost feel breathless. It is a stupid, impulsive, ridiculous, irresponsible decision, but I know that no particle of my body is going to resist it, no matter how much trouble I get into.

I whirl around and hurry back into my room, my heart pounding excitedly. My hands tremble slightly as I pick up the phone and begin dialling a familiar number. When I realize that I am habitually calling Tidus, I quickly stop and hang up the receiver. I can't ask to stay with him, it wouldn't be proper! I frown slightly, biting my lip in thought. Then I remember Rikku's number, and excitedly start punching the numbers.

"Hello?" a thickly-accented male voice answers. I waver momentarily.

"Yes, hello . . . I'm sorry to call so late, but it's urgent. Is-is Rikku there?" I ask almost timidly.

"Wait one moment," the voice says, sounding bored. I sit on the edge of my bed, tapping my foot impatiently on the hardwood floor.

"Yeah?" says a girlish voice. I instantly recognize Rikku.

"Rikku, it's Yuna. I'm fine, thank you. Yes . . . yes, I'm sure," I lie, dodging the question she asks about my confrontation with my father. "Listen, I need a big favour. Would I be able to stay at your place for a while? No, no, I'm all right, I just . . . need to get out of here, just for a few days or something. Really? Thank you! Yes, I'm on my way now. I'll see you soon. Thank you so much!"

She gives me quick directions to her house, and then I hang up. I jump to my feet and head to my closet and pulling out an armload of clothes. I dump them on my bed and then pull out my suitcase from under the bed. It is covered in a thin layer of dust, not surprisingly.

I pack quickly and messily, not bothering to fold my clothes in any organized fashion. After hesitating, I decide to bring along some of my more 'scandalous' clothes that I have yet to wear outside of my room. Perhaps I would gain the courage to actually put them on if I got away from the prudish, conservative atmosphere of the mansion.

After quickly placing my hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste and a small makeup bag in the suitcase, I shut the lid and hurriedly get dressed. I then scribble a note:

'Auron- I have gone to stay with a friend for a little while. I will not be gone long, this is just something I need to do. Tell Braska that this is not his fault, and give my love to Belgemine. I will come home soon, I promise! Don't worry about me, I know what I am doing.

All my love, Yuna.'

I put the pen down and place the note on my pillow, where Auron will be sure to find it in the morning.

000000000000

I stop my silver Porsche just one block away from Rikku's house under a streetlamp. Luckily I managed to sneak out of the mansion without making any noise, and of course my beautiful car purrs as softly as a kitten. I am confident that I did not wake anyone up.

The street is grey and grimy in the dark of night, and somewhere nearby I can here two women shouting at each other, using language I know they did not learn in any temple. I stare down at my car, wondering whether or not I should leave it here. Even though I have the doors locked, I am smart enough to know that such a small hindrance was nothing to a robber.

Again I come up with another snap decision. A man is walking past me, his hands shoved into his deep pockets, head bowed and shoulders hunched. There is a cigarette perched between his chapped lips, and his round face is in desperate need of a shave.

"Excuse me," I say, clearing my throat. He stops and glances up at me, blinking with surprise. I hold my keys up so that he can see them clearly in the light provided by the streetlamp overhead.

"What do you want?" he asks gruffly. I waggle the keys invitingly.

"You interested in owning your very own Porsche?" I ask, trying to sound as casual as possible. Where I found the strength to give up my baby, I doubt I'll ever know, but it is oddly invigorating. Somehow I know I will not regret this. The man blinks again at me, looking like a bewildered owl.

"Eh?" he croaks.

"My Porsche. It's yours if you give me whatever gil you have on you," I say sweetly, passing the keys from hand to hand the way I always see Wakka handling a knife.

"Are you sayin' you'll give me your fancy car for . . ." he pauses to rummage through his pocket. ". . . thirty two gil?"

Without flinching, I smile and nod. He stares at me suspiciously.

"You're crazy, kid," he tells me, shaking his head. I raise an eyebrow and toss the keys at him, still smiling.

"Maybe I am," I reply mysteriously. He pulls the gil out and approaches the Porsche as if he were walking towards a ticking time bomb, the keys hanging loosely from his chubby fingers. Hesitantly he reaches across the hood of the car and hands me the gil, which I accept readily. Amazingly, my hands aren't shaking throughout this whole transaction. Instead I feel the rush of excitement at my own bold stupidity.

"I can't thank you enough, you insane little girl," he says to me with a sort of reverence. I only shrug and pick up my suitcase.

"Do what you want with it," I say carelessly. "It's yours now."

He starts cackling then, overjoyed at this unexpected fortune. I can see the greed flashing in his eyes, but also a look of pure disbelief and gratitude. I watch from the sidewalk as he climbs into the driver's seat, and without wasting a second he starts the car and vrooms off down the otherwise completely empty street.

I cannot help but imagine the look on the gang's faces when they find out what I just did. I'm starting to believe they love that car more than I did. It does not sit well with me to picture my father's reaction.

I reach Rikku's duplex minutes later. It is located in the middle of a small, garbage-ridden dirt lot surrounded by a waist-high chain-link fence. There is rusty junk scattered all around the yard, and I can already smell the pungent odour of cat urine that Rikku warned me about.

Softly, I knock on the old wooden door of her side of the building and wait almost breathlessly.

When the door finally creakily opens, I am surprised to see Tidus standing there, grinning at me delightedly.


	15. Goddamn Interruptions

Thanks for the reviews, as always! I feel so loved. I'm not at all happy with this chapter because this stupid writer's block keeps screwing me over. Well, TRY to enjoy chapter 15 . . . for my sake? (puppy eyes) Just so you know, the band 'Lotus Venom' is an OC band I just made up on the spot, since I hate advertising real bands for some reason. Notice how Tidus is starting to use bigger words? He's learning. ;)

And I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the ridiculously long delay in updating. This chapter will be slightly short, but I promise I will try to make the next one longer.

0000000000000000000000000

TIDUS

Rikku's room is located in the basement, where the smell of cat pee isn't so overwhelming. She had no windows in her room, but she prefers candlelight rather than natural sunlight. Her bed is so huge that we can all sit comfortably on it without being too crowded.

It has been a full hour since Yuna arrived, but I still remember the priceless look on her face when she saw me at the door. As we led her inside, I had told her that Rikku called us and wanted to give her a welcoming committee, so the rest of the gang had headed over right away. Her relatives, thankfully, left before any of us got there; Cid and Brother (none of us can pronounce his name aside from Rikku and Cid, so we just call him Brother) are both sound asleep. Rikku plans on telling them about their new guest in the morning, fully convinced that they won't mind.

So, the seven of us are now sitting on her massive bed. In the candlelight, everything has a sort of eerie quality. More than once I find myself staring at the natural blonde tints in Yuna's brown hair, or the way her pale skin glows almost gold. Her eyes are dark and glittering, but it is still easy to tell their colours.

Paine and Wakka are sitting on either side of me. Rikku is sitting in Gippal's lap for no apparent reason reading a magazine, and Lulu is sitting on Wakka's other side, painting his nails (it took a long time to convince him that it would not compromise his machismo). Yuna is sitting between Gippal/Rikku and Lulu, listening to our idle conversations with a lazy smile on her lips. She told us about her argument with Lord Braska, but she seems oddly relaxed. I don't see any nervous tension in her. It's kinda like she's free, in a way. She seems so much more at ease than she usually is. And I like it that way.

"Wakka, this is a great colour on you," Lulu comments with amusement, applying another layer of dark blue on Wakka's nails. He grunts warily, eyeing the procedure with uncertainty.

"I still think nail polish is for chicks, ya? I dunno how I let you dorks talk me into this stuff," he mutters accusingly. Lulu giggles softly, an uncharacteristic sound.

"Hey, lots of women think nail polish on guys is sexy," she tells him, glancing up at him from under her bangs. Wakka seems to perk up a bit.

"Really, Lu? Even you?" he asks mischievously. Lulu narrows her eyes at him, the smile gone. She rarely appreciates his suggestive humour, especially when it concerns her. We all know Wakka has a crush on Lulu, but up until recently he's been afraid of approaching her. Being Chappu's ex-girlfriend, Lulu is unofficially considered off limits to Wakka. Besides, she still misses Chappu, and as his living brother, Wakka knows better than to move in on her. The time just isn't right.

"So, Paine, when are you and Baralai going to go out?" Yuna asks politely, creating a diversion for Wakka's overstepped boundary. She has her knees drawn up to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs comfortably. When she arrived, she went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of shorts and a black tank top

"Psssht," Gippal snorts, settling his arms around Rikku's waist. "Forget the dating part. More importantly, when are you going to fuck him?"

Paine (choosing to ignore Gippal's comment) shrugs and shifts her position so that she's lying down on her stomach, propped up on her elbows. "Who knows? I haven't talked to him in a while. I think he's still trying to find a way to leave Nooj's gang without getting himself butchered. But I can wait," she says casually.

Another thing I've come to realize is that Paine has become a bit chattier since Yuna's arrival into our midst. I guess Yuna just sort of brings it out of people naturally. Maybe she's even doing it to me too . . .

"Oh my god!" Rikku cries, nearly dropping her magazine in excitement.

"What?" Gippal demands, annoyed at having her jostle around so roughly on his lap.

"Lotus Venom is coming to town next Friday!" the small Al Bhed girl squeals.

"Shut up," Paine says bluntly.

"You're kidding me!" Wakka gasps.

"Are you sure?" Lulu asks, blinking in surprise.

We all lean forward to get a better look in the dim light, and I realize that we are looking down at a tour list. Lotus Venom is our favourite band, and has been for as long as I can remember.

"This is huge," I murmur, almost in disbelief. Lotus Venom usually tours all the way in Zanarkand, or in Luca. They haven't played in Bevelle in over ten years.

I turn my attention to Yuna, who is staring at us in quiet curiosity.

"Please tell me you know who we're talking about," I plead, reaching across to grip her knee. She smiles nervously, her eyes briefly flickering down to my hand.

"Um . . . are they a new group?" she asks in her sensually soft voice ('sensually soft'? What the hell? When did I start getting poetic?).

She quickly ducks and shields her head in her arms as we all grab pillows and start flinging them at her, protesting loudly at her ignorance.

"Yunie, come on!" Rikku groans. "Lotus Venom is only the best band that ever existed. They are one of the original metal bands, and they've been around for over twenty years at least!"

"Have we taught you nothing about being cool?" Wakka cries dramatically, throwing his hands up in the air as if in defeat.

"How is it possible you've never heard of them?" Lulu asks, almost in amazement. Yuna blushes deeply, which is obvious even in the low candlelight.

"Well, my father never really approved of metal. He always had classical music in the house, and didn't allow anything else. I suppose I was always cut off from my generation's music," she admits, embarrassed. Instantly I feel bad about getting so worked up. Of course she wouldn't know much about our music. Hell, her dad practically quarantined her for most of her life. Her words sober us slightly.

"Don't you worry," I tell her, nodding firmly. "We are going to pool our money to get tickets, and you're coming with us whether you like it or not. It's time you were exposed to the wonder that is Lotus Venom."

Her eyes brighten. "Really?"

"Of course!" we answer in loud chorus, momentarily forgetting about Cid and Brother sleeping upstairs.

"It'll be real fucking expensive, but damn it, this is Lotus Venom!" Gippal says passionately, clinging to Rikku in his feverishness. "We cannot afford to miss their concert."

"So it's settled," Lulu says promptly, holding her hand out palm down in the middle of the circle. "We are going to combine our money and buy seven tickets."

"Agreed," everyone replies. Six other hands join Lulu's in the center, establishing a pact. I am quick to cover Yuna's hand with my own, amazed at her softness.

"And if one of us can't go, none of us go," I add, my eyes fixed on Yuna. She stares back at me, a slow smile creeping across her lips. Her hand is warm under mine.

"Agreed," came the unified response.

00000000000000000000000000000

It is 3:00 in the morning when a small sound wakes me up. The seven of us had fallen asleep on Rikku's bed, and I was comfortably sandwiched between Paine and Wakka, who had one big arm slung across Lulu's back. Rikku and Gippal are nestled together on Paine's other side.

I open my eyes in the darkness, only to find that Yuna's spot is empty. But I quickly realize that she is not far away. The sound that woke me up was that of the door opening, and as I turn around I catch a glimpse of Yuna creeping up the stairs.

In all likelihood, she's just going to the bathroom, but my instincts are telling me otherwise. I have the feeling that something is wrong, but the more rational part of me is yelling at me to go back to sleep and leave her alone.

Then again, I am not the world's most rational human being.

Carefully sliding off the edge of the bed, I tiptoe my way across the basement room and noiselessly pad upstairs, wondering what on Spira is driving me this way. What makes me so protective of Yuna? Why is it that she of all people can stir up these feelings inside of me?

'Lorac, you are a moron,' I tell myself, emerging onto the main floor. The only light I can see is coming from the kitchen down the hall.

I can't help but feel like some kind of spy, following Yuna around like this. Maybe all this worry is just in my head, like some excuse to be near her. Maybe she just wants to be alone. Hell, maybe she's just getting a snack from the kitchen.

Peeking my head around the corner, I am shocked to see that my intuition was correct.

Yuna is sitting huddled on the floor, her back to the cabinet doors, knees drawn up. Her face is buried in her arms, and I can see her shoulder shaking with voiceless sobs.

"Hey," I say softly, moving into the kitchen. She gasps and jerks her head up at the sound of my voice as I kneel down in front of her.

"Oh," she whispers, startled. "Tidus, I . . . did I wake you?"

She reaches up to wipe away the tears streaming down her face, but I quickly grab her wrist to stop her.

"No," I say quietly. "Let me."

Swallowing, she sits absolutely still as I brush away the tears, each one wounding me like a knife to the heart. My face is very close to hers.

"What's wrong?" I ask, finally pulling my hand away.

"Nothing really," she mutters, her cheeks tinged with red. "I'm just being silly."

"Tell me," I order sternly. She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, the way I do whenever I'm agitated.

"It's just that I'm feeling sorry for myself over silly things," she says tiredly. "Moping about nothing serious. You see, I realized for the first time just how cut off I've been from the world, how isolated my life has been. There's so much I don't know, like what to say or do around people my own age. Oh, it's easy enough around you and the gang," she adds quickly, seeing my confused frown. "I always feel comfortable with you guys. But . . . I have the sinking suspicion that I would be otherwise incapable of communicating like a normal teenager."

We are silent for a moment. Then she gives a small, bitter laugh.

"See?" she snorts. "Pathetic, isn't it. I wonder why I let myself get so worked up over these things."

"Well . . . what do you want to know?" I ask softly. She stares at me for a second.

"Lots of things. I want to see all the movies I've been missing out on. I want to hear the music my father always forbade. I want . . . I want to know how to drink and swear," she says with a weak shrug.

"But, that's not you, Yuna," I tell her, reaching over to take her hand. My knees are starting to cramp up from squatting, so I change to a sitting position next to her. I am intensely aware of the fact that our bare legs are touching, and that her hip is pressed against mine. "I mean . . . the gang and I do stuff like that, but you're . . . you know, classy. You've got style. We're just losers with nothing better to talk about."

"You aren't losers. And I am tired of being 'classy'. I'm tired of people mistaking me for a thirty year old," she admits, letting her head fall against my shoulder. God, her hair is soft. It smells like lilacs. "Goodness, that makes me sound so selfish. I should be more grateful for the life my father gave me."

"You can't help how you feel, Yuna."

She sighs again, and I slowly bring my arm up around her shoulders. Her skin is unbelievably warm.

"I just want to know these things. Like . . ."

"Like what?"

I sense her hesitating, and I give her shoulders a quick squeeze to encourage her.

"I wish I knew how to kiss a boy."

My breath catches in my throat. My body stiffens against hers. I feel the heat rise to my face. Too many things are happening to me at once, all because of that one little statement.

"So . . . so you don't know how to . . . to do that. N-nobody ever taught you." My words come out in ridiculous stammers. Damn it, how can she shake me up so badly?

"Right," she says in a barely audible voice. She lifts her head up from my shoulder and stares directly into me. "Is that bad?"

"No," I say quickly, wondering why the hell the room feels so bloody hot all of a sudden. Did someone turn the furnace up or something? "No, it's not bad at all. Lots of people don't know how to . . . do that. Some people know how to do it naturally. Others just have to learn."

Jesus, with other girls I never get so rattled. Then again, I've never been in love with any of the other girls.

Oh, fuck. So now I'm in love?

"Did you learn, or were you born knowing how?" she asks me, a hint of a smile on her lips. Her eyes are slightly red from crying, but goddamn, she still looks beautiful. I don't know any other girls who can pull off looking so good at 3 in the morning with no makeup on, especially after crying.

I chuckle slightly. "I was born knowing how. I've been making out with girls since I was thirteen. Well, there was that time with Wakka, but-"

She bursts into giggles, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Wakka?" she chokes, her words muffled through her fingers.

"Hey, it was a dare!" I protest, nudging her roughly. "Besides, we were both drunk."

"Wow, I never figured you of all people had homosexual tendencies," she teases, purposefully ignoring what I just said. I narrow my eyes at her.

"I'll have you know I'm all man," I growl dangerously. She raises her eyebrows with intrigue.

"Oh yeah?" she demands airily. "I'd like to see you prove it."

In the back of my mind I know she is just kidding. I know she is only joking around. I know she doesn't mean it.

But as soon as she speaks those challenging words, it's like I lose control of myself. I lean towards her while pulling her towards me at the same time. She freezes with surprise, but she does not move or object. As my mouth nears hers, I see her eyes softening, flickering down to my lips almost wondrously. My hand reaches up to cup the side of her face with a gentility I didn't know I possessed.

I can feel the heat of her lips almost on mine when I hear a loud 'Ahem'.


	16. I Was Never Alone

Thank you to all my reviewers! The last chapter really did not satisfy me, but I was shocked to see how many of you liked it. I had been so afraid I was letting you all down . . . glad to know you still have faith in me! Anyway, enjoy chapter 16, even though I am not 100 happy with the quality on this one either. Sorry about the slight delay. As we all know by now, school greatly interferes with my writing time. --

000000000000000000000

YUNA

_Oh my god he's about to kiss me I can't believe this how is my breath am I staring too much I can hear his heart beat oh wait that's mine I think I'm going to faint why am I shaking so much it's just a kiss but it's Tidus I've been waiting for this all along I can't believe he's about to kiss me-_

"Ahem."

Instinctively, Tidus and I pull away from each other just when his lips are a hair's breadth away from mine. My head snaps around to stare wide-eyed at the kitchen entrance. Next to me, Tidus does the same thing. His body feels unbearably warm next to me.

A short, stocky man is standing in the doorway dressed only in underpants and an open blue bathrobe. His hairy gut sticks out in a portly fashion, and he is abysmally bald with squinty dark eyes and a somewhat displeased expression on his scrunched up face.

"Good evening, Mr. Sehdan," Tidus says cordially, as if there is nothing awkward about the situation at all. "Hope we didn't disturb you." He is cheerful almost to the point of being cocky.

Ah, so this is Rikku's father. She often refers to him as 'Cid', or 'Pops'. He turns his beady eyes to Tidus with a less-than-favourable look.

"I heard voices," he grunted, folding his thick arms over his flabby chest. Then he returns his gaze to me, and I feel a blush flame upon my cheeks. I can imagine how the two of us must have looked to him when he walked into his kitchen. Tidus is still sitting quite close to me, although the young man in question is still smiling innocently.

But then, I see a spark of recognition alight his features. He stares at me for a moment, as if some kind of realization is dawning in mind. Then a wide smile breaks out across his lips, making him appear much less intimidating than I had pegged him for.

"Well," he says with a delighted chuckle, placing his fists on his blocky hips. "If I ain't the bastard son of Yevon! Little Yuna, right in my very kitchen!"

I stand up quickly out of politeness, but his statement confuses me. Usually people address me as 'Miss' or 'My Lady'. Never has anyone called me by such an affectionate term of endearment. I cannot say whether I am honoured or uncomfortable with it, but either way I am glad to see he is not angry with me.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Sehdan," I say courteously, bowing my head. "I am very sorry we woke you up."

"Please, please! Call me Cid!" he says, waving his hands as if brushing aside my formal greeting. "The pleasure is all mine, Yuna. I didn't know you were one of Rikku's friends!"

I smile at him.

"Well, it's only been a few weeks, but yes, Rikku and I are good friends. I wonder if she told you, but she said it would be all right if I stayed here for a little while-"

"A few weeks! By golly, why the hell didn't that girl bring you over earlier? We got a lot of catching up to do. Of course you can stay! Stay as long as you want!" Cid hurries forward and takes my hand in both his own, squeezing it firmly and beaming at me. I blink at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Aw, come on girl! You saying you don't recognize me? Well, we've never met in person, but I'm sure your father's shown you pictures of me and your mom when we were kids, eh?"

I blink at him in shock. Tidus glances at me quickly, equally surprised, but I barely even notice him.

"M-my mother? You knew her?" I whisper, feeling somewhat faint. How is this possible? A man I have never met before was associated with my mother when she was a child? Why have I never met him? Are there really pictures of them together? Why has my father never shown me, or spoken of it?

Cid's smile slowly fades away.

"You mean . . . you don't know? Nobody ever told you?" he asks me, his forehead furrowing.

"Told me what?" I ask, taking a step towards him.

"All this time . . . all this time I waited for a call, or a visit . . . and all along you never knew . . ."

"Please, Mr.- Cid . . . what don't I know?"

Thankfully, Tidus remains silent at my side, watching this whole exchange with a bewildered look on his face.

Cid sighs heavily so that his entire body seems to sag, closing his eyes as if in defeat.

"I dunno if I'm the one who should tell you, but . . . I guess it seems fitting, seeing as how your old man never bothered to let you know. Yuna," he says, opening his eyes again to look directly at me. "I'm your uncle. Your mother was my little sister."

It seems then that the world is standing still. First my heart stops, and then it begins to pound furiously. I sway on my feet, and Tidus automatically puts his hand on my shoulder to steady me.

". . . What?" I murmur, finding it oddly difficult to breathe. Cid nods, confirming what I think I just heard.

"Yup," he says, rocking on his heels. "It's the truth, kiddo."

"Shit," Tidus mutters, his hand strangely comforting on my skin.

"M-my father told me I had no other relatives," I say blankly. I feel the strangest urge to both laugh with delight and cry for reasons I cannot explain.

"Well, your dad is a lying sack of crap," Cid growls, glaring ahead as if seeing Lord Braska in mind. "Not to be too disrespectful. I told him after the funeral that I wanted you to grow up knowing about your Al Bhed roots, and that I wanted my family to meet you at least once."

The weight of all this information is becoming too much to bear. Two minutes ago I was simply Yuna, daughter of Lord Braska. Now I am Yuna, a half Al Bhed? I feel my knees give out beneath me and I collapse.

Before I hit the ground, I am dimly aware of Tidus quickly grabbing me around the waist, pulling me up against him and holding me still. Cid watches the whole thing with an understanding face.

"Hey, calm down," Tidus whispers to me, quiet enough so that Cid cannot hear us. "It's all right, Yuna."

My legs regain their strength once more, but I am disinclined to move right away. Although Tidus loosens his grip so that there is a considerable amount of space between us, his arms are still resting around my hips. I see no reason why I shouldn't prolong this contact.

"So, now you know the truth," Cid says with in a more cheerful tone, clapping his hands together once. "I can imagine this is quite an eye-opener for you. But hey, now you got all the time in the world to get to know the family, right?"

"Yeah, all this means Rikku is your cousin!" Tidus says, releasing me. "You know, now that I think about it, you two kinda look alike."

"Really?" I murmur, still slightly dazed. He nods and smiles at me.

"What's going on down here? Why all the voices?" a thickly accented voice demands from the doorway. We all turn to see a heavily tattooed young man standing in the kitchen entrance, hands on his hips. He has only a single square patch of blonde hair on the crown of his head, and he has pale blue eyes that appear almost colourless in their lightness. It takes me a moment to realize that he is only wearing a leopard-patterned thong.

Suddenly his eyes land on me, and his face twists into a mask of surprised delight.

"M-Miss Yuna!" he cries, rushing forward with his arms open wide in preparation for an embrace. I take a hasty step away from him, but Cid already has a hold on the situation. He backhands the young man roughly in the face, sending him crashing backwards to the floor.

"Keep your distance, idiot," Cid snarls, glaring viciously down at whom I am assuming is his son. I've heard Rikku mention him. Around us, she simply calls him Brother, as his Al Bhed is impossible for anyone else to pronounce. "Yuna Ressan is your cousin."

"My WHAT?!" Brother howls, gaping blearily up at his father. Then his gaze returns to me. I notice Tidus takes a protective step towards me, a cold scowl on his face. I cannot help but feel exceptionally grateful for his presence. The idea of that particularly enthusiastic young man touching me makes me feel more than a little bit queasy.

"You mean I have been lusting over a RELATIVE?!" Brother wails, burying his face in his hands. "This cannot be happening! This cannot be happening! I am a good man! I have never done anything wrong!"

Cid rolls his eyes and gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry kiddo," he says sheepishly. "My family's a bit of a circus, but my son is the only real basket case."

At that moment, a very grumpy-looking Rikku appears in the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes to frown at us.

"Would everyone keep it down? What the hell is going on up here?" she asks in a rather impatient tone.

"Rikku," Brother moans between his fingers, still lying on the floor. "YUNA IS OUR COUSIN!" He finishes with a distraught sob. With hardly more than a second's hesitation, Rikku gives a loud squeal of delight and races towards me, sweeping me up in a crushing hug.

"Yunie, is it true? We're related?" she cries happily, hopping up and down with her arms still locked around my neck in a suffocating hold.

"I believe so," I reply weakly, returning the embrace as best as I can, considering the fact I can barely breathe. Rikku pulls away and whirls around to glare at her father.

"Well, thanks a lot for telling me sooner, Pops!" she says accusingly, narrowing her viridian eyes at him. He coughs uncomfortably and shifts his weight from foot to foot.

"Now, hold on," he protests, quailing under his daughter's glare. "I wanted to surprise you and your brother. I was going to wait for Yuna's first visit before breaking the news to you. And, well . . . as time went by she never came around, so I guess I just kept pushing it back."

"I have sinned! I have had unclean thoughts about family!"

"Shut up, Brother," Rikku snaps to her hysterical sibling over her shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself." She turns back to me with a sweet smile. "This is definitely good news and all, but I'm sacked. I'm going to go back to bed."

"Me too," Cid declares, yawning. He then gives me a quick flash of teeth. "Good to see you, Yuna. Glad to have you with us."

With that, he heads towards the door, dragging his agonized son by the patch of hair behind him. Rikku gives me another hug.

"I'm going to share the news with the gang as soon as everyone's awake," she says with a promising wink. "This is huge! I'm so glad we're cousins, Yunie!"

"Me too, Rikku," I reply, offering her a genuine smile. It suddenly dawns on me, as Rikku turns around and skips out of the kitchen and down the hall, that for the first time in my life I have a real family. The days of loneliness and solitude seem miles behind me, even though I only learned the truth no more than five minutes past.

In mere seconds, Tidus and I are standing alone in the kitchen once more. As soon as I bring myself to look up at him, I remember with almost a start that he nearly kissed me not too long ago. The same thought seems to have occurred to him, because I catch a distinct shade of red in his cheeks. I'm certain the same thing is happening to my complexion, for I feel the familiar telltale heat rising in my face.

"Well, uh . . . quite a night, huh?" he says at last, chuckling slightly. I smile.

"Indeed. But . . . I rather like the idea of being Rikku's cousin. I always felt some kind of sisterly bond with her, but I suppose this is the next best thing," I reply with a shrug.

At the same time, we both move towards the door. His arm brushes against mine, and by instinct I jerk away. Instantly I regret the gesture, trying to ignore the strange glance he gives me. How can I pull back when I want so desperately to feel his hands on me constantly? How can I be filled with such nervousness at the thought of him being so close to me, and yet desire it so much?

Walking down the dim corridor at his side, I notice a wall of pictures and family portraits. I stop instantly and squint at them in the darkness, hoping perhaps to catch a glimpse of something I can recognize-

There!

"Oh, my," I gasp, moving closer to the lone picture at the end of one column. The woman in the portrait looks strikingly familiar.

"What is it?" Tidus asks in a hushed voice behind me. I cover my mouth with a limp hand.

"It's . . . my mother. I can't believe I didn't notice it right away!" I whisper through my fingers. "I have this very same picture of her."

It is her wedding portrait. She smiles beautifully at us across time through a thin pane of glass, immortalized on the happiest day of her life.

Hungrily my eyes roam the other pictures while Tidus gets a closer look at her, desperately searching for other pictures of her.

"She was really pretty," Tidus comments softly, smiling at my mother's face. "You look a lot like her."

I have enough sense to blush slightly and thank him, in spite of my urgent investigation. The further I walk down the hall, the more I start to see my mother's face. There is a portrait of her and Cid as children, sitting on a bench side-by-side holding ice cream, grinning impishly at the camera. In another one, she is standing waist-deep in a pool, shielding her eyes against the sun. I see one of her sitting on an unfamiliar man's lap. It takes me a moment to realize that he must have been her father, for he does resemble Cid a great deal.

"My family," I murmur to myself, feeling suddenly overwhelmed again. Up until tonight I had never really given thought to family aside from my departed mother. It did not occur to me that I had a grandfather, or uncles or cousins.

To my surprise, I even see a picture of my mother with Lord Braska. I blink and do a double take, moving in for a closer look. The two of them are sitting on grass, his arm around her waist. Her head is resting against his shoulder, and the two of them are grinning broadly at me through the protective glass frame.

It is bizarre to see my father smiling in the photo. He actually looks . . . well, happy. I don't think I can even remember the last time I saw him smile. Perhaps he hasn't since my mother was here.

"He was happy once," I say out loud, reaching up to touch the frame with a tentative hand. "Before I was here, he used to smile."

Behind me, Tidus says nothing for a moment. "Yuna . . . you know that it wasn't your fault. Really. What happened to your mom happens to a lot of people. Your dad has no right to resent you for something like that."

I turn to look at him, touched by his concern. I try to smile. "I know. Thank you. But . . . it doesn't change the fact that my mother is gone, and she died giving birth to me. My father will always hold that against me no matter what. I've accepted it, and I'm ready to move on. Still . . ."

"What?" he asks gently, taking a step closer. In the dim light of the hall, I can only faintly make out the golden glimmer of his hair and the brightness of his eyes. Even so, he is painfully beautiful.

"Still," I continue, looking away from him. "It saddens me to know that my father will never smile again. He . . . really loved her. And as often as I find myself disagreeing with him, I feel bad for him."

We are silent for a long time, simply gazing at each other. I wish I could read his mind. I would give anything to know what he is thinking about, staring at me so intently. When he opens his mouth to speak, I am almost startled at the interruption.

"Yuna . . . can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why do you hang out with me and the gang?"

The blunt change of topic almost startles me.

"What do you mean? I hang out with you because you're my friends."

"Well, why? Why did you give us a chance?"

I blink at him slowly, wondering where on Spira this conversation came from.

"I-I don't know. I just know I liked you a lot better than Seymour and his gang."

"What about Dona and her clique?"

"Oh, Dona's very nice and all, but . . . I have a lot more fun with you guys."

He crosses his arms and looks down at his feet. I frown at him slightly.

"Why are you asking me this?" I demand suddenly.

"It's just that . . . well, before you came along, the gang had this rock wall around it, you know? Nobody could get in. We were solid together. But then, you show up and you managed to break your way in without any effort. I guess it just feels strange, that's all," he says after a moment of thought.

I tilt my head to the side a bit. "What feels strange?"

"The fact is, I've only known you for a few weeks and it already feels like it's been years," he replies frankly. "Everyone in the gang has been together since we were young kids. You've been around less than a month and you're one of us now."

My heart swells with each word. I grin hugely at him, hardly believing he is saying such wonderful things to me.

"Really? That's so sweet of you," I tell him, touching his arm. "I had no idea you felt that way. I'm honoured, Tidus."

"Well, I'm not the only one who thinks so," he says hastily, trying not to smile back. "We all feel it too."

"I'm so glad to hear it," I reply. "I've been wondering just how far I could dig into the gang's core."

"Pretty damn deep, as far as I'm concerned."

Without stopping to think, I go up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him slightly down towards me. He remains motionless as I place a gentle, chaste kiss on his cheek that lasts no longer than a second. He is warm to touch, and I fill my lungs with his scent as I move to rest my chin on his shoulder. I feel him stiffen with surprise at the suddenness of my gesture, but slowly his returns the embrace, slipping his arms around my waist.

"Thank you," I whisper into his shoulder. "It means more than you think."

"You're welcome," he replies softly, his voice tinged with a linger daze. His arms are so strong, so secure . . .

When we withdraw from each other, we spend a quick moment simply smiling at one another. Then, without speaking further, the two of us turn and head down the hall towards the basement.

Only now am I aware how tired I am. Tired, yet endlessly happy.


	17. Unwanted Mental Arguments

Much obliged to all my reviewers! You guys rule. Sorry for the delay! I had another brief creative itch to scratch, plus a bunch of school crap. Again. I'm very quickly running out of excuses here. Hehehe . . . anyway, this chapter sucks. I suck too for my slowness. But I hope you enjoy it all the same! I'll cry if you are disappointed . . . it seems all I do lately is spit out crappy chapters. THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT MY REVIEWERS! (sob) By the way, this chapter will have to be cut just a little bit short. Hope that won't be too devastating.

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TIDUS

I wake up at eleven o'clock the next morning. Lying on Rikku's bed, stretched out on my back, I yawn and look around in the darkness of the room. Sometime during the night one of Rikku's automatic nightlights went on to help provide some visibility after the candles burned out. My arm is pressed against something warm; I sit up slightly to glance down and find Yuna fast asleep with a tiny half smile on her lips. Curled up on one side, her knees are drawn up to her chest and her hands are resting near her face. Her brown hair pools around her head on the grey quilt, falling into little spirals.

'Beautiful,' I think to myself, fighting the urge to touch the side of her face. Once more I remember how close I came to kissing her last night. Yeah, as if my subconscious would actually allow me to forget that little encounter. Does she know what had almost happened between us? Does she have any idea? She must have some clue. I saw the look on her face when I leaned in towards her. No way was she completely oblivious to my intentions.

It takes me a second to notice that we are the only two people left on the bed. Probably for a joke, the rest of the gang decided not to wake us up and wait for us upstairs.

Bastards.

I need to remember to thank them later.

"Hey," I whisper, gently shaking her shoulder. She moans softly and rolls onto her back, unconsciously stretching. I can almost feel my pupils dilate at the sight she makes. Her tank top rides up as she arches her body, and I can clearly see the sleek firmness of her stomach. Her shorts are sinking low at the hips, and I realize they reveal much more of her long legs than I remembered. She sighs softly and relaxes, turning her head towards me slightly.

"Yuna, wake up," I say quietly, feeling my throat tighten. I don't want her to wake up. I don't want anything to interrupt. I don't want this to end, whatever it is.

She stiffens at the sound of my voice, and then her two-toned eyes flicker open, landing on me right away.

"Oh," she murmurs, propping herself up on her elbows and smiling sleepily up at me. "Good morning."

"Morning," I reply lightly, trying to get my breathing back under control. When the hell did breathing become a challenge?

She glances around for a second, also coming to the conclusion that we are the only ones left in the room. "I see the others decided to let us sleep in."

"Yeah, no kidding," I reply with a smirk, sliding off the enormous bed to find my pants. I had forgotten that I am still only dressed in boxers. Behind me, I hear her yawn and stand up from the bed to make her way upstairs.

As I busy myself hopping on one leg while shoving the other in my jeans, I hear her open the door at the other end of the room, but out the corner of my eye I see her hesitate.

She turns around and stares at me for a moment, compelling me to look back.

"I don't suppose I thanked you last night," she says slowly. "For sitting with me. It was very kind of you."

"No problem. What are friends for, right?" I ask with a shrug and a smile.

Her expression softens even more, to a sort of dream-like happy look.

"Right," she nods, still smiling. "I'll see you upstairs."

When I finish getting dressed I jog up to the kitchen, my stomach rumbling. I walk in to find everyone crowding around the stove, laughing loudly as Gippal stands stirring something questionable in a silver pot. Rikku is positioned next to him, an armful of spice containers held at the ready. Cid is sitting at the table, mug of coffee in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Brother is hunched over a bowl of cereal, his eyes fixed moodily on Yuna's shape. I catch his eye and glare warningly at him. Instantly he blanches and looks away, muttering Al Bhed curses under his breath. I swear that dude has issues.

"What's going on?" I ask, coming to stand beside Lulu. The mage rolls her eyes and smiles in Rikku and Gippal's direction.

"Those two are trying out their latest culinary experiment," she tells me, shaking her head. I cringe, as if I had just been smacked in the face.

"Please tell me you're joking," I beg, knowing full well how the 'culinary experiments' of my Al Bhed friends usually end up. "What are they making now?"

"I call it 'Mystery Goo'!" Gippal exclaims dramatically, flailing his wooden spoon around with a flourish. My eyes fall to the strange off-coloured ooze coating the spoon's tip, and I begin to wonder just how hungry I really am.

"Hey!" Rikku protests, slapping his shoulder. "I thought we agreed on 'Sudden Death'."

"Do I want to know what it is?" I inquire cautiously. Yuna turns to grin at me, looking thoroughly amused.

"I'm not sure you do," she tells me with a teasing wink. "I lost my appetite when they told me."

"That's it! I'm having poptarts," I say, throwing my hands up in defeat. Her expression brightens as Gippal and Rikku throw offended scowls in my direction.

"Oh, make me some too!" she pleads. "Auron never let me have any when I was younger. He said it was pure junk food that would eventually rot my brain."

I stop and stare at her for a second, once more amazed at yet another simple pleasure Yuna has missed out on in spite of the fact that she has always lived in the lap of luxury. Then I smile and nod.

"They sure do. You'll love them, trust me," I tell her confidently, moving towards the pantry. She follows eagerly to watch the delicately complex preparation of strawberry frosted poptarts.

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In the end, the culinary experiment is another failure. Not that any of us are surprised at first. Paine steps in and saves the day, opting to fill a few stomachs with her famous chocolate chip pancakes. Not a lot of people know this, but Paine is an extremely gifted chef, and more often than not she is the one responsible for supplying us with a decent meal.

Although Yuna and I already stuffed our faces with as many poptarts as we could handle (she discovered that they are the greatest edible inventions since bread), we give in and indulge ourselves by piling on a thick stack of pancakes onto our plates. Nobody can say no to Paine's cooking, not even the mighty Yuna.

"So, Yuna," Wakka says, stretching his arms over his head after finishing off his third serving of pancakes. "We hear you turned out to be Rikku's cousin, ya?"

Yuna smiles and ducks her head as Rikku throws an arm around her shoulders affectionately. "Yes, it's true," she says happily. "I only found out last night."

"Rikku told us this morning. Great news, girl," Gippal tells her with a brotherly nudge in the arm. "It's about time you got yourself a family that will treat you right."

Although Yuna is still smiling, I see a faint shadow clouding her eyes, and her expression seems to darken a little bit. I can tell that Gippal's comment, meant to be comforting, only reminded her of how she left things with her Dad.

"I just can't believe I never recognized Lord Braska in that picture with your mom!" Rikku says to her, shaking her head at herself. "I mean, I must have walked past it like a million times before."

"Don't worry about it," Yuna assures her, patting Rikku's hand gently. "I doubt any of us would expect you to carefully scrutinize every picture in your house, Rikku."

"Are you going to talk to your dad about all this?" I ask her, after hastily chugging down all my orange juice. "I mean, he should at least explain why he never told you."

She just shrugs. "I guess so. I would like some answers, but I don't know if I'm ready to face him yet. I've . . . never spoken to him that way in my life. I think I still need time to adjust, and Yevon knows my father most likely doesn't want to see me right now," she says, pushing a few locks of brown hair away from the corner of her mouth. I notice she is careful to keep her gaze down rather than look at back at us.

"Well, whenever you're ready to, just hop into that Porsche of yours back to your mansion and confront him about it," I say encouragingly, hoping to catch her eye. "And be sure to tell us the gruesome details later."

"Um," she stammers, her cheeks turning red. "You see . . . I, uh, don't think I can use my Porsche anymore."

"What? Why?" Wakka asks, becoming unnecessarily alarmed. I am quite ready to believe he loves that car with a frightening passion. We all stare at Yuna quizzically, wondering what on Spira she's talking about. She sinks lower into her chair, bracing herself.

"I sort of . . . gave it away last night."

She flinches as we all simultaneously yell, "_WHAT_!?"

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Once we managed to compose ourselves and allow Yuna to explain her reasons for _giving away _a perfect specimen of a car, she stands up from the table and stretches.

"Well," she says, briefly combing her fingers through her hair. "I think I need a shower. Rikku, do you mind if I use the bathroom?"

"Go ahead," the Al Bhed girl says, speaking around a mouthful of pancakes. She had undertaken yet another serving of Paine's pancakes.

As Yuna waves and walks out of the kitchen, I help myself to another glass of orange juice, fighting to keep my eyes from drifting down to her rear. Gippal and Wakka are smirking at me as if they know my intentions, and I purposefully ignore them. I am desperately trying not to imagine Yuna standing in the shower stall, naked in the yellow bathroom light, glistening with drops of water, running her fingers through slick wet hair . . .

"Guys, where are we going to get the money to buy _seven _tickets to Lotus Venom?" Paine asks suddenly, leaning back in her chair with a pensive expression. I am more than a little bit grateful to her for interrupting my wayward thoughts. "Tickets cost at least sixty-five gil each. I don't think we have that kind of pocket change lying around."

"Yeah, and Cid ain't too generous with the wallet handouts," Rikku adds, chewing her bottom lip.

I hadn't really thought about where I was going to get so much gil. To most people, sixty-five doesn't sound like a lot of money, but for the gang and me it takes a lot of work to cough all that up. Not surprisingly, none of us have real _legal _jobs.

We are silent for a moment, but all of a sudden I know what everyone is thinking: Yuna.

'There is no way I am going to ask Yuna to pay for our tickets. No way am I going to beg for her charity'

"Well . . ." I say slowly, shifting my gaze from each person in turn. I almost feel like hitting myself for saying this. "We will just have to work the streets as hard as we can. No holding back this time."

They stare at me for a moment.

"Tidus," Lulu says quietly, her eyes begging me. "We promised Chappu we'd lay off . . ."

I almost wince at her expression. She has the ability to look extremely fragile when she wants to, in spite of the fact that she is the most intimidating person in the gang.

"I know," I tell her gently. "I know we made a promise. But we need the money, you guys. How many chances are we going to get to see Lotus Venom live in concert? We aren't going to use switchblades this time, so there's no real harm done."

"But . . . we could just ask Yuna if she-"

"No," I snap, firmly interrupting Gippal. "There is no way in hell I am going to beg her for money like some fucking hobo. We've scrapped up tons of gil on our own before. We don't need her becoming our little charity bank. Got it?"

They all hesitate, and eventually nod in understanding. I narrow my eyes, my 'Boss' mentality taking hold of me.

"I mean it, gang," I say threateningly. "Not a single word to Yuna."

"We get it, Boss," Wakka says softly, staring down at his hands.

"Not a word," Rikku agrees with a sigh.

"Good." I lean back in my chair, arms folded over my chest. "It just isn't fair to her, that's all."

_On the other hand, I bet she'd much rather cough up a wad of gil than let us break the law for concert tickets_, the rational part of me says. I firmly stifle it. Who the fuck cares what she thinks? We can handle ourselves fine. We don't need to live in fear of her judgement.

_Imagine the look on her face, if she ever finds out what you guys are doing? What you _used _to do?_

'Since when do I, Tidus fucking Lorac, give a shit about some bloody rich girl's opinion?'

_Since you fell for her, jackass_, the stupid little voice pipes up. Once more I am forced to crush it like an insect. _Oh, come on! Face it, you're practically giddy for her_.

'No, I am _not_,' I mentally insist, frowning darkly. 'I am not in love with her. I have only known her a couple of weeks. I am notin _love_ with Yuna!'

_If it's not love, then it sure comes pretty damn close_.

'Bullshit.'

_Okay, maybe you just really, really, really, REALLY like her._

'I don't have to take this.'

_Right, like you can escape your own subconscious. Nice try, loser. Why don't you act like a man and accept the facts? You like her, plain and simple. Love may be too strong a word, but hey, you've never felt it before, right? How do you know this isn't what it feels like? Maybe you-_

'Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP.'

_Tidus and Yuna, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes-_

'If you don't zip it, so help me I will stab you with a Q-tip!'

_I bet her lips taste real nice, and I wonder what her tongue would feel good running all over your-_

"I need to head home," I say, abruptly standing up. I wonder if the frown has even left my face. I guess not, since the rest of the gang is eyeing me as if I'm a ticking time bomb. "Jecht probably found something else to bitch at me for."

"And Yevon knows you should bathe at least once in a while," Lulu adds, a small smirk on her lips. I glare at her and fight the urge to smile back at the joke. Lulu tends not to fear me as much as the others do.

I leave with a quick wave over my shoulder and head out into the hallway towards the front door, my hands stuffed into my pockets. As I pass the wall of portraits and photographs, I stop at the image of Lord Braska and Yuna's mother.

I scowl at them, clenching my fists inside my pockets. I hate Lord Braska simply for being the way he is. I hate him for isolating Yuna from the outside world. I hate him for shutting her out and treating her like such a burden. I hate him for hating the Al Bhed, even though he fucking married one.

. . . and I hate Yuna's mother for leaving her daughter in the hands of that demanding old bastard. I hate her for making Yuna feel so guilty about her death. I know it is unreasonable and downright cruel of me to feel this way, but I can't help it. If that woman had been stronger, maybe Yuna's life would have turned out for the better. She wouldn't have had to resort to hanging around lowlifes like me for companionship.

Humph. Lord Braska almost looks human in that picture. Hell, he was even good looking once. And, seeing Cid's sister, I can definitely see where Yuna gets her looks. I mean, damn.

With a faint sigh, I shake my head and move on towards the door, wondering how the hell someone as nice as Yuna could come out so great with an asshole dad raising her alone.

Before I even reach the door, I hear a sharp knock on the other side. My step falters with mild surprise.

"I'll get it, Rikku," I call over my shoulder towards the kitchen. I step forward and pull the door open, and immediately freeze.

"S-Sir Auron?" I stammer, my eyes wide. The legendary guardian is looming in the doorway, a tall, broad-shoulder shadow dressed in a black leather trench coat that nearly brushes the floor.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, knowing full well why he showed up. How the bloody hell did he know where to find her? It doesn't occur to me that he already knows about Yuna's connection to Rikku.

Even though he is wearing his trademark sunglasses, I can somehow tell he is narrowing his open eye at me.

"You know perfectly well why I'm here," he says impatiently, taking a step inside and forcing me to back up. "Now let me speak with Yuna."


	18. The Bodyguard Speaks

Thanks for the reviews! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. In response to one question from charmedstar, the reason why Yuna was crying at Lake Macalania (in the game) was that she was feeling despair because she wanted to go and spend her life with Tidus, but she knew that she could not bring herself to abandon the pilgrimage. At least, that's my interpretation of it. Maybe you could download that scene off the Internet and watch if for yourself to come up with your own conclusion? My friend did that, and now she watches it all the time, ha ha. Anyway, I apologize once again for the delay in updating. Well, here's chapter 18!

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YUNA

My eyes are closed as I stand in the shower stall, head bowed and at peace. I feel every water drop make its way down my body, soaking through my hair and moistening my eyelashes. Slowly the room fills with wonderfully humid steam, bathing me in warmth. Rikku's bathroom is extremely small and cramped, but it has a soft yellow light that seems to radiate calm.

In the midst of my mellow state, part of me is still buzzing from the events of the last twenty-four hours. From my argument with father, giving away my Porsche, arriving at the house to find the rest of the gang gathered here as well, discovering my blood tie with Rikku, and now the excitement of a live concert to look forward to. It is hard to believe how much has changed in such a short period of time. When I go back home, what will I say to my father? What will he say to me? Will anything between us be different, or will it all go back to the way things were before? I sincerely hope not.

I still cannot believe Tidus nearly kissed me. Did he do it for a joke, because of the tongue-in-cheek remark I made about his sexual orientation? Was he just trying to tease me in return? Or was he actually serious? It is hard to forget the hazy look in his eyes, the relaxed look of anticipation in his features . . .

My state of relaxation is quickly fading as my questions multiply. In vain I try to clear my head, wanting to relish the womb-like comfort of the shower, but it seems that I am doomed to continuously interrogate myself. Reluctantly, I finish rinsing the conditioner out of my hair and step out of the stall. Quickly I towel dry my hair and let it fall messily back into place, still damp but free of roaming drops.

It is then that I realize I forgot to bring a change of clothes with me, and I had already thrown my pyjamas down the laundry chute located next to the sink.

I sigh and reach for one of the fluffy white towels hanging behind the door. It is just my luck that it barely covers me, leaving my legs almost entirely exposed, and my chest does not feel any more secure. Hoping that the rest of the gang has already gone home and that I won't run into Brother, I cautiously step outside into the hallway. I shudder at the sudden absence of warmth from the tropical climate of the bathroom and blink in the bright light coming in from the open doorway. Even the tall shadow standing in the threshold does little to block the sunlight.

My eyes fall to Tidus, who has suddenly turned around to stare at me with what almost looks like panic. His expression is so nervous that I nearly forget just how underdressed I am in front of him, and the blush never makes it to my face. The rest of the gang is standing in the kitchen entrance, crowded together and staring at me worriedly. It is almost as if they are afraid to approach the scene, whatever it is. What on Spira is everyone so edgy about? Who is that person in the doorway? It is hard to see more than just the silhouette.

"What's going on?" I ask, reaching up to shield my eyes as I take a few steps forward.

"Yuna, we need to talk."

The familiar voice stops me dead in my tracks. I feel my heart leap into my throat.

"Au-Auron?" I stammer weakly, fighting the urge to back up and run for cover. "What are you . . . how did you . . . ?"

"I suggest you get dressed, and then I will answer your questions," my bodyguard replies coldly, closing the door behind him in what would seem to be an awfully presumptuous manner. Only, Auron is one of those people that can get away with doing a lot of things without seeming to be disrespectful or rude. Either that, or people never have the nerves to stand up to him and complain about it.

Now that there is no light in my face, I can see just how stony his visage is, partially masked by his dark sunglasses. I feel a spark of anger, and manage to regain my composure.

"I'm not going home," I tell him firmly. "Not until I'm ready. You can tell Braska that I-"

"He didn't send me, Yuna, and for Yevon's sake, call him 'Father'," Auron snaps, obviously having no patience today (with reason, I suppose). "Things are bad enough without this little attitude of yours. He doesn't have any idea where you are, and I came here on my own. Now move your ass and get dressed. I'll be waiting up here."

I open and close my mouth, wishing I could say something sharp and cutting in return. But his words sober me, and I know I have no other choice but to obey. Still wondering how he managed to find me, I clench my jaws in frustration and walk towards the basement door with as much regal grace as I can muster, leaving wet footprints on the floorboards along the way. I cannot help but wonder if those are Tidus' eyes I feel on my body, watching me retreat downstairs.

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I emerge a few minutes later, fully dressed and with my damp hair brushed neatly away from my face. I am wearing simple fitted jeans and a white v-neck long-sleeved shirt, accompanied by a gold chain necklace. I almost feel as though I should be garbed completely in black to go along with the sombre situation.

Everyone is gathered in the living room. Even Cid and Brother have come down to see what's going on. When I walk into the room, Cid and Auron are talking in hushed tones, each with serious expressions. Brother and Rikku are speaking together in Al Bhed, looking as though they are arguing about something. Tidus is standing with his back against the wall near the doorway, arms crossed and head lowered in thought. Gippal and Paine are sitting next to each other on the loveseat with Lulu on the armrest, and Wakka is sitting on the floor by Lulu's feet. They look just as confused and worried as I am, except for Paine and Lulu, who are greatly adept at concealing their emotions.

"All right," I say at the entrance, drawing everyone's attention. "Let's talk."

Auron nods and gestures for me to sit in one of the chairs, once more in the manner-that-would-be-presumptuous-but-really-wasn't. I do not move to oblige his offer.

"I'll stand," I tell him, feeling oddly in control. He shrugs.

"So be it," he says indifferently. I notice that both Rikku and Gippal have concurrently lit up cigarettes, much to Cid's unvoiced but obvious annoyance.

Auron raises an eyebrow at me. "Well?" he prompts. "You have questions, do you not? Ask away."

"How did you know where to find me?" I ask immediately. He moves to sit down in the chair he previously offered me.

"I saw Rikku at 8-Ball's that day you were late coming home from school. I thought she looked somewhat familiar, so I asked Rin who she was," he begins. Auron and Rin knew each other from long ago, as Rin was the one who had supplied my father and his guardians with much of their provisions for the pilgrimage to defeat Sin. "He told me her name, and I knew it from somewhere else, but I couldn't really place it. And then I remembered Cid and your mother. Everything just kind of fell into place after that. Plus, I saw some guy driving your Porsche not too long ago, so I figured you had to be somewhere in this area."

I stare at him numbly. "So . . . you knew that I had an uncle? You knew I had a family here, all this time, and you never told me?"

"Your father swore me to secrecy. He said . . . that he did not want his daughter associating with Al Bhed, and that you were never to know about your roots." Auron throws Cid and his children a slightly apologetic look.

"I can't believe Father would do this to me . . ."

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

"That's not an excuse!" I snap, startled at the venom in my voice. "He had no right to keep this from me! H-he was cruel enough to me already, why did he have to lie about the one thing that could have made me happy? A-all this time I thought I was alone. I thought there was no one else!"

I don't know why I am getting so angry. As Auron said, I'm sure Father had his reasons, but even that thought does nothing to comfort me. It just hurts, knowing that both he and Auron never lifted a finger to tell me that I had relatives elsewhere.

"Why did you come here, Auron? Were you going to try and convince me to come home? Try and talk some sense into me?" I demand, both inwardly appalled and amazed at how scathing my voice sounds. I have never spoken to my guardian this way before. "Because I've already told you that I am not going back until I'm ready. I need time away from that house. I need time to get to know my family."

I glance at Rikku, who smiles softly back in encouragement. Abruptly I am very grateful for the gang's presence. I can feel Tidus' strength behind me, offering me support with his calm silence. I can almost see his face, watching Auron with cool assessment, his eyes becoming steely and unreadable.

Auron looks weary all of a sudden. He rubs his forehead and stares off absently.

"No," he says quietly. "I came here to tell you how sorry Braska is. He hasn't said a word to Bel or me since you disappeared last night. Even though he isn't showing it, he is distraught over your absence, Yuna. You have no idea how much he loves you, do you?"

I swallow. Of course I know he loves me. He has to because I'm his daughter, and I love him because he is my father. Our relationship has never meant anything else.

"I-I'm his child," I reply, my voice sounding much smaller than before. "He has no choice but to love me."

"I would be the first person to tell you that Braska has never been very good at communicating," Auron tells me with a hefty sigh. "But in spite of the way he shows his emotions, he cares about you a great deal. It's just unfair to you that he can't express it without fretting over you constantly."

I fidget uncomfortably. Behind me, I hear Tidus move and I glance up over my shoulder to see him addressing his friends.

"Uh, gang," he says softly, "we should go. Let's come by later, okay?"

Paine, Lulu, Wakka, and Gippal stand up. Rikku moves to stand next to Cid and Brother, who are still surveying the scene with solemn faces. For a second I consider pleading Tidus to stay. I don't want to lose his presence. I want him near me so that I don't have to face this alone. And then I realize that he is doing me a favour. Obviously he recognizes that this is a private discussion, and he feels that he and the gang should not witness it.

I catch his eye and smile at him, grateful for his intuition. He grins back understandingly and gently touches the side of my cheek in a gesture of affection. The motion startles me, but I feel the warmth of his finger lingering on my skin, and I find myself relaxing because of it. I watch him and the others walk into the front hall, but only when the rest of us hear the door close to we continue.

"Yuna," Auron says, pretending that he didn't see that little exchange. "I came here because Braska is being a coward right now. He's scared to be around you at the moment, the way you are scared of him. I just want you to know that he's sorry. He may never admit it, but he wants to be a good father and he has always tried to do the right thing for you."

I look down at my hands nestled in my lap. "I know," I murmur. "And . . . well, I am sorry for the way I spoke to him. That was very improper of me. I shouldn't have raised my voice to him and stormed off."

"He knew he had it coming," Auron tells me with a barely visible half-smirk. "Believe me, he knew. I think he needed a big slap in the face to see how far he pushed you."

Suddenly he stands up and stretches. Nodding at Cid and his family, he strides across the living room and helps me to my feet. I slip arms around him and lean my face into his chest, taking in his familiar leather scent that has always been more comforting than Braska's dusty cologne and brandy smell. Auron wraps me up in a big bear hug and kisses the side of my head before releasing me.

"Come home soon, kiddo," he says fondly, and then brushes by me into the front hall. The door closes, swiftly following his departure. I stand still for a moment, still wallowing in his lingering presence. It is a pale memory of home that does not involve tears and tantrums.

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At six o'clock, that same evening, I am standing at the stovetop, stirring a pot of chilli while Rikku and her family sit at the table. Since it was, lamentably, Rikku's night to cook, Cid and Brother had desperately begged me to take her place, much to her chagrin. So, I hesitantly accepted. Chilli is the only thing I know how to make properly, as Auron was the one who taught me. Belgemine always became so frustrated with me and stopped bothering to show me how to make anything, so the task of instructing me in the culinary arts fell to my bodyguard. Chilli is also the only thing he knows how to make with moderate skill, which leads me to wonder just how he manages to keep himself in such good shape with so little diversity.

"Yuna, if it weren't for you, we'd be killing our intestines with that god-awful substance from this morning," my uncle tells me, clutching his fork and spoon eagerly. Brother is gazing at me with doe-eyes, and Rikku is leaning back in her chair with disgruntled expression, obviously not appreciating the situation. I smile at Cid's comment.

"Don't get too used to it!" I warn him. "Chilli is all I can do, I'm afraid."

"At this point, Yuna, we eat anything! Anything!" Brother insists, his eyes shifting to the pot with anticipation. I can practically see saliva foaming at his lips. Rikku 'humphs' and mutters something in Al Bhed under her breath.

By the time dinner is ready, Cid and Brother are straining in their seats to catch a whiff of the chilli. Impatiently they wait for me to shovel a few ladles full into their bowls, and I watch with amazement as they attack it. It is as if neither of them has eaten anything in ages, although not for lack of supplies.

"Hungry, Rikku?" I ask, trying to sound apologetic. It is hard not to be distracted by the devouring sounds coming from across the table.

She fixes me with a haughty stare, and then shrugs smoothly. I take that as a yes.

"Yuna, why didn't you come around here sooner? This is the best thing I've had since . . . since . . . I don't know when!" Cid proclaims. If he is aware of all the ground beef and tomato sauce leaking out the corners of his mouth, he does not appear to care.

I smile and duck my head, embarrassed by the praise. Through my peripheral vision, I see Rikku take a tentative bite. Soon, her inhibitions seem forgotten, and she tucks into the chilli with a will.

"Glad you all like it," I comment softly, picking up my fork as well. Brother is whispering something in Al Bhed, and from the reverent look on his face, I am guessing they are some kind of gratified prayers.

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After dinner, Rikku and Brother are forced to wash dishes, as I am the one who made the meal. But, taking pity on them (I'm afraid I made quite a mess of the kitchen), I step in and help finish off the last of the after-supper chores. In spite of what most of the public thinks, I am not a spoiled, helpless princess who has never done a chore in her life. Because Belgemine is the only maid my father ever intends to hire, he saw fit for me to take care of myself and clean up my own catastrophes. Thus, I grew up with a healthy knowledge of home maintenance, and with Bel's assistance, I became quite adept at cleaning a room properly. I see no reason why my family should waste money hiring someone to pick up after ourselves when we, as human beings with two hands and strong backs, are perfectly capable of doing it on our own.

Not long after I join in, we manage to finish and set the kitchen into order. Rikku and I head downstairs (Brother wanted to join us, but Rikku chased him away with a string of violent curses in their native language) to the basement to relax.

Rikku flops down on her bed and smiles at me. "I'm so glad we're cousins, Yunie. I had no idea I had any non-Al Bhed relatives out in the world."

I smile wryly at her. "Well, I'm half-Al Bhed, aren't I? That counts for something. And I'm glad we're cousins too. It's nice to know I have a family I can rely on."

My eyes roam the darkness of the room, once again only lit by candles. They come to rest upon the far wall, which is completely covered by pictures and posters. I get up from the edge of the bed and move to examine them as Rikku turns her music on. Not surprisingly, she chose the band Lotus Venom to break the silence.

I come to stand at the picture wall and smile immediately. Every single photograph is a group picture of the gang at various places, doing various things. To my amusement, I even catch sight of a picture of young Tidus and Wakka, obviously both drunk, in the middle of a passionate kiss. They are clutching individual beer bottles in one hand each.

And then I notice someone unfamiliar. There is another young man joining the gang, who looks remarkably like Wakka. He has the same bright orange hair and wide smile, but his expression is kind and gentle. In the first photo I see of him, he has his arm around Lulu's waist, and their heads are leaning together. Lulu, to my surprise, is grinning enough to show teeth; a sight I have never seen before. In another picture of him (I come to realize that there are many), he is sitting cross-legged on a floor with his back against a couch, reading a book. I can see several pairs of legs on the couch behind him, and Lulu is leaning down to kiss his cheek, and because of this, there is a bashful grin on the young man's face.

"Rikku," I call over my shoulder. "Who is this guy?"

She gets up and comes to examine the picture I am pointing out, and I am amazed to see her features soften dramatically. A small smile touches her lips.

"Chappu," she says quietly, in a voice I have never heard her use. "He was Wakka's brother. He used to be 'in charge' of the gang, a while back. He died last year. Shot to death."

I am shocked, but I feel my heart sink slightly with sympathy. I rest my hand on Rikku's shoulder. "I had no idea there had been someone else," I say, turning back to look at the photos of him. "I'm so sorry."

"He was such a great guy," Rikku murmurs, reaching up to touch his picture. "Wakka and Lulu . . . I don't think they will really get over him. None of us will. Chappu was one of a kind."

"He was close with Lulu?"

"They were in love," she replies simply. "Lulu will never feel the same way for someone else the way she felt for him. I swear they were going to get married, as soon as they were legally old enough. Chappu would have made her so happy. He did make her happy. She's never been the same since he died. I . . . don't think any of us really have been."

I wince slightly. "He sounded wonderful. I wish I could have met him . . ."

"You would have loved Chappu, Yunie," Rikku assures me, managing a weak smile. "He was a lot like you. Gentle, smart, sweet . . . no wonder Tidus likes you so much. You probably remind him a lot of Chappu."

I give a start and turn to stare at her. "What?"

Rikku gives me a look, and I see her begin to return to her normal self. "Well, he and Tidus were so close, practically like brothers. It's never been easy for Tidus to take over Chappu's place in the gang, but with you around . . . he seems to be a little bit more sure of himself. And don't think I'm the only one who believes so. You could ask Lulu and Wakka the same thing and they wouldn't tell you any different," she says with a bright smile. "And I'm glad too. If it weren't for you, I don't think Tidus would ever really believe in himself. He doesn't know it, but we all love him to death. He needs someone like you to keep him stable. He needs another Chappu. But luckily for him, he sees Chappu in a gorgeous girl!"

I open and close my mouth, stammering at this news, when we both hear a loud commotion upstairs, like a door banging open and closing. We exchange quick worried glances and then bolt upstairs.

"What's going on up here?" Rikku demands, bursting into the hallway. Paine, Lulu, Wakka, and Gippal are hurrying towards us from the front door, each with worried faces. I feel my blood turn cold. Something is terribly wrong.

"Rikku, Yuna," Gippal pants, his face incredibly pale. "Tidus is going to jail. The cops are dragging him to the station right now."

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**EDIT: **Okay, okay! I won't delete STLO like I said I would, just because I owe you guys for being such nice reviewers. (grumble) Because someone asked me, here's my reason for wanting to take it down: It's badly written, in my opinion, and I am embarrassed for having produced it. I know a lot of people seem to like it, but that doesn't change the fact that I cringe every time I go back and read over it. In time I may have the same feelings towards this story, or Children of Light, for all I know. I am pleased with the fact that my first fanfic did so well, but I am tired of having it clutter up my account when I could fill its place with something better. (shrug) But I'm sorry to have alarmed some of you. You win! It stays put.

Thanks for reviewing!


	19. Just a Criminal

Thanks for reviewing! The comments are greatly appreciated, as usual, and sorry for the delay in updating. And yes, I decided AGAIN not to delete STLO, as I am scared of pissing off the fans, heh. I do appreciate everybody sticking up for it though; it really does mean a lot. I feel as though I need to touch back on the deep friendship between the gang and offer some more insight into Baralai's place in the story, so this chapter will be focusing mainly on that.

And to one reviewer who questioned why I mentioned that little drunken kiss between Tidus and Wakka: Don't read too much into it! I figured it would be funny and add a bit of depth to the friendship between them. Okay, I admit, I have a bit of a yaoi-fangirl streak in me, but I swear that I wrote it purely on a whim. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable. Which brings me to . . .

**NOTE**: It is not my intention to criminalize bisexuality in any shape or form. I personally have no problem with it (bunch of my friends are gay/bi), and I hope that I will not be offending anyone by including it in my story. I just thought it would put an interesting twist in the plot and be a little bit of a change from the norm. If it seems that I am putting it in a negative light, I sincerely apologize ahead of time and I hope it will not deter you from reading further. If you find that bisexuality is gross or upsets you, I am sorry but that is not my problem and all I can do is suggest that you stop reading now and go on with life. I do not and will not appreciate flames regarding my choice to incorporate it into this chapter, and possibly future chapters. **EDIT: **I made a few adjustments, thank you to Realities Knife for the advice! Much appreciated. I agree; the last line was kind of corny.

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TIDUS

To be completely and perfectly honest, I have never been inside an over-night cell before. I've visited the police station lots of times, to pull Wakka, Rikku, or Gippal out of the drunk tank, or to bail my dad out after a particularly wild night of partying. But in all my years of working the streets, vandalism, joy riding, thieving, and generally being a basic pest to society, I've never been detained for it. I always managed to ride off with just a warning, and in desperate times I have had to run away from the cops and hide until the dust settled and I would be forgotten.

And now I've screwed myself over. I was careless, I was reckless, and I got caught for it.

Jecht would be so proud.

The constable roughly shoves me through the open cell door rattles off a list of my rights and the regulations for staying in the station overnight. But I'm barely listening. All I cant think, all my mind is registering, is one simple question:

_What the fuck have I gotten myself into?_

I had promised myself that I would not use a switchblade. I promised the gang, Chappu, and myself that I would never touch one again, especially to use it against someone else not in self-defence.

"You know, you're awfully lucky that old man decided not to press charges. If it were up to me, I'd throw you out of town on your ass in a heartbeat," the constable sneers, shutting the barred door in my face. "Just pray that somebody comes to get you by morning."

I just glare at him and keep my mouth shut. I've done enough mouthing off for one evening.

It had been almost too easy tonight. That old man just looked so oblivious, walking all by himself down 6th Avenue with his old cane and fat wallet bulging out of his coat pocket. I think I even heard him whistling under his breath, like he didn't have a care in the world. I saw him coming from across the street, and before I really had time to talk myself out of doing anything stupid, I remembered my earlier vow not to ask Yuna for money to get those Lotus Venom tickets. I refused to stoop low enough to beg for charity. I've never had to ask for gil in my entire life, and my selfish idiot pride forbids me from starting now.

_I told the gang I needed to stop at my place to grab some gil so that I could meet them at 8-Ball's. After we separated, I found myself walking down the quiet streets with my mind wandering (okay, so I was actually thinking about Yuna. Sue me). _

_When I saw that old man, it was like rational thought had abandoned me, and greed took over. I jumped him. I've done it loads of times before, and this time was pretty much the same. Everyone is a potential victim, and this guy was a prime target. I walked towards him with my head down so I didn't look suspicious. I made like I was going to walk past him when the knife handle came out and I shoved it against him, keeping the blade tucked in for the moment. I had been careful to draw my hood up, and I was wearing a hat that made a lot of my hair fall across my eyes. _

"_Buddy," I whispered to him, "if you don't want my knife stabbing into your goddamn prostate, you'll hand over your wallet right now and you won't make a single sound. Got it?"_

_He went completely still; his eyes were fixed ahead like he was staring at a ghost, and for a long time he didn't move or say anything. I almost started thinking I had given him a stroke, or heart attack or something. Then he finally spoke, barely moving his old dry lips._

"_Son," he said hoarsely, his breath smelling like cigars and scotch, "you don't have to do this. You don't have to threaten people this way." _

"_Shut up," I snapped, not wanting the truth of his words to ring in my brain. "Just shut the fuck up and give me your gil. You want me to cut you up? Is that what you want?" _

"_Listen to me," he started, but I interrupted him by applying more pressure to the knife handle. I saw him wince slightly. _

"_I said, hand it over."_

_Slowly he reached into his pocket and did as I told him. The weight of the wallet was satisfyingly heavy, and I quickly stuffed it into my jeans. "Good job, old man. You made this very simple."_

"_Look, young man, you need help. There are places you could go, where you can stay and get some education. You don't need to-"_

"_Yeah, yeah," I cut in, impatient to get lost. "I've heard it all before. But why go to all that trouble when gentlemen like yourself make it so damn easy?"_

I should have left then. I should have just walked away without another word, making a safe getaway with a hefty supply of gil. But I didn't. Like the real moron I am, I just had to keep going, just had to press my luck.

_He stared at me sadly. "Young man, when I was your age I would have killed for the chance to go to a good school. Why are you doing this? Why are you throwing your life away when you have so much potential?" _

_I smirked at him, tossing my switchblade up and down cockily. "Potential? For your information, I happen to go to a pretty decent school already, and it's been made very clear that guys like me have no potential whatsoever. Hate to burst your bubble, pal, but this is all I'm good for." _

_He just shook his head again. "You can't live your life like this," he said quietly, his eyes glued to mine. I was starting to get uncomfortable under his stare. He had really creepy pale green eyes. _

"_I can do whatever the fuck I want," I snarled, pressing the blade handle even harder into his lower stomach. He grunted in pain and stooped forward slightly. "I don't need decrepit bastards like you telling me how to live life. Got anything else to say before I leave?"_

"_Yes," he gasped, too frightened to move away from the handle. "You should know that there is a police officer walking towards you." _

I sigh and let my head fall back against the cement wall, my legs drawn up as I sit on the rickety wooden bench. My eyes are closed; there's nothing to see in the cell anyway. There are only three other guys in with me, and none of them have said a word. One of them is asleep off to my left, and the other two are huddled together, talking in low voices. I can't hear what they're saying, but I don't care.

_The old man proved to be surprisingly strong. The second I whirled around to face the cop, who was indeed hurrying in my direction, he hit me behind the legs with his cane so that I fell to my knees in a certain amount of pain. By now the cop was running, and had his club drawn out at the ready. _

_Instantly the switchblade opened, and the knife shot out with a satisfying click. I jumped up to my feet and tried to dodge off across the street, but the old man hooked his cane handle around my angle and tripped me, sending me down to the sidewalk again. I felt my jaw collide with the pavement and for half a second I am stunned with pain before my senses kick in again. _

"_Fuck!" I yelled, trying to scramble back up. But it was too late. The policeman grabbed me and threw me against the wall, forcing me to drop the knife. Pressing me against the bricks with one arm, he fished into my pocket and retrieved the old man's wallet, tossing it to him over his shoulder. The old man gazed at me with that stupid sad look on his face as he slipped the wallet into his jacket._

"_I really am sorry, son," he told me, shaking his head. "But I think it's for your own good. Get some help for yourself. Officer," he said, addressing the cop now. "I won't be pressing charges. Just make sure the boy learns a good lesson."_

"_I'll deal with this little punk," the policeman said with a grim smirk, leering in my face. I let loose a string of colourful words, earning myself a well-deserved smack in the face with the club, right on my fresh forming bruise. _

_As the cop slaps handcuffs on me and drags me down the street towards his patrol car, I glance over my shoulder towards the old man. He is still watching me, a gloomy expression on his creased face. I wonder if he has the capacity to wear any other emotion. I glare at him and try to force his words out of my head, wondering why the hell a guy I just robbed would give a flying fuck about me and the life I lead. _

_The policeman shoved me into the back of the car and we screech off down the road. He was taunting me and calling me a good-for-nothing little shit, and all the while I was blocking him out. _

_We passed 8-Ball's, and as we did, I saw the gang standing outside waiting for me. Before I could lower my head and hide my face, Lulu caught sight of me and went even paler than she normally is. I saw her mouth my name and point at the car, drawing everyone else's gaze. Quickly I ducked beneath the window, feeling my face burn with shame. The last thing I wanted was to deal with their reactions later. I can't shake the feeling that by getting myself caught, I've let them down. _

"Tidus? Is that you, man?"

My eyes snap open and I search the darkness of the cell around me to locate the source of that voice. It was a hushed whisper, but I feel as though I recognize it from somewhere.

I catch a flash of silver hair as the guy at my left sits up from his foetal position on the other bench.

"Baralai," I say, startled to find him here. "Yeah, it's me. What are you doing here?"

He gives me a rueful smile and rubs the corner of his eye sleepily. "Got caught breaking into a Mustang. I've been here for about an hour. You?"

I grimace. "Mugged some old guy and didn't see the cop coming up behind me."

Baralai winces sympathetically and shakes his head. "Maybe we're losing our touch or something," he says with a grim laugh.

"Maybe," I agree with a smirk. I note the glassy look in his eyes; his pupils look freakishly large, and when I lean forward a bit I catch a whiff of a very distinctive smell. I quirk an eyebrow. "Are you stoned?"

"A little bit," he admits with a half-grin. "But it's coming down now. I needed to cut loose tonight."

I nod and look down to inspect my hands. I know Baralai isn't much into drugs; if he of all people felt the need for a joint, something must have been seriously stressing him out.

An awkward silence falls between us. After a while I begin to wonder if Baralai fell asleep again, but then he speaks up, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"Look, Tidus . . ." he says with a sigh. "I'm real sorry about that day we jumped you. I know this won't mean much to you, but I did try to stop them. I kept telling Nooj it wasn't worth it, that we should just leave you alone. But he didn't listen. Anyway, I'm just sorry."

I regard him carefully. His silver hair is untidy and streaked with dirt (probably from wrestling with cops) and I notice several rips and tears in his vest. His jeans are stained with muddy water and grime, and for the first time I notice a bruise forming under his eye. Briefly I am reminded of the one growing on my jaw.

"I know you tried," I tell him at last. "But I'm not the one who needs your apology."

He glances up at me sharply, and I see a flash of understanding cross his face.

"I can't ask her to forgive me, man. What I did to you was low, but it's like I stabbed Paine in the back just as much. She loves you to death. They all do. There's no way I can even try to get close to her now," he says, furrowing his brow. "I've lost my chance with her. Even though Nooj let me leave, there's no point in-"

"Whoa, wait a minute," I interrupt, sitting up stiffly on the bench. "What did you just say? Nooj let you go?"

"Yeah," he replies, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. "Well, not exactly. Not yet, anyway. He's still considering it, but chances are I'll be able to leave. I've been doing some 'special favours' to help him make up his mind."

"Special favours?" I ask, feeling a strange sense of unease in the pit of my stomach.

Baralai fidgets and glances towards the end of the cell, where the two other guys are still talking. Then he looks out to see if the guards are near.

"I think you should know that first of all, I'm bisexual," he tells me, watching my face anxiously for some kind of negative reaction. I shrug and nod. Paine had told me this much a long time ago, but there's no point in revealing this to him.

"Fair enough."

He swallows and continues on, clearly relieved at my response.

"And you already know how Nooj usually gets LeBlanc to . . . do things for him?" he asks in a low voice. I nod, not at all surprised. LeBlanc is, after all, a bigger slut than Rikku could ever hope to be, and it's no secret she would literally do anything for Nooj.

"Well, it turns out LeBlanc has to deal with a little . . . shall we say, 'rash' . . . in a certain area. Nooj doesn't want to catch it himself, so he's been relying on other girls. When I approached him and asked him to let me go, he said that first I would have to do certain things for him while he made up his mind," he explains.

My eyes widen. "So, what . . . Nooj is using your sexuality against you?"

"I guess so," Baralai shrugs. "Either that or he's bi too. You can never really tell with him."

"And you were willing to go through all that?"

He nods and stares at me seriously. "I'd do anything to get away from him. He hasn't told me for sure whether I can go or not, but if I threaten to tell the others what's been going on, I might be able to blackmail my way out."

"Why?" I ask, unable to fathom the kind of courage it takes to put oneself through that situation.

"For Paine," he replies evenly, a small smile coming to his lips. "I swear to Yevon, Tidus . . . if there's any chance I could be with her, I'd fuck Nooj senseless to earn my way out. She's the reason I can face him everyday without fear."

"You should tell her that," I say, fighting a grin of my own. Although the mental images brought on from that little confession are more than slightly disturbing, it's relieving and oddly cute how devoted Baralai is to her. I know now with absolute certainty that of all people in the world, Baralai is the one I want Paine to be with. I know he would never hurt her. Any guy who'd willingly do . . . those things . . . to another guy just to leave a gang is bound to be loyal and dedicated. Paine deserves no less.

"I just might, if I ever get the balls to face her again," he says with a chuckle.

A loud metal clank draws my attention to the door. A guard is standing behind the bars, having just smacked one with his club to announce his presence.

"Hey, blondie," he grunts, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "You got visitors."

My heart flies up into my throat with happiness as I jump to my feet. I rush to the bars and struggle to peer around the corner as far as the barriers would allow. First I catch sight of Wakka, who is hurrying down the hall in front of everyone else. Then I see a glimpse of Lulu's black hair and Paine's dark grey hoodie pulled up over her head. I hear Rikku's high heels rushing forward and I can already smell Gippal's cigarette odour making its way towards me.

All five of them come to an unsteady halt in front of me, reaching through the bars to grab my hands or pat my shoulders. I feel indescribably glad to see them. I feel whole again. I'm rarely separated from them for long, but now that I'm with them once more I realize for the first time how scary it would have been in the cell alone. If Baralai hadn't been there for company, I would have been shaking with nerves. It's almost scary how dependent I am on them.

"Hey, guys," I say, my voice somewhat tight. Fuck, I hate getting emotional. Thank Yevon I'm not prone to tears. "Glad to see you."

"Tidus, dude, what the _fuck_?" Gippal stammers, gripping me by the arm tightly. Rikku is leaning through the bars as much as her skinniness will allow and kissing my face almost desperately.

"I was caught robbing some old guy, and-"

"Tell me you didn't use a switchblade," Lulu cuts me off, her voice edged with worry. I sigh and look away, struggling to find a way to say yes without having to glance back up and see that expression on her face.

"You son of a bitch," Paine growls, clasping the bars so that her knuckles go white. "You _promised_ us, Tidus. You promised Chappu!"

"Look, I don't need this right now, okay? It was stupid. I fucked up over some gil for concert tickets, I _know_. I know I let you guys down. Just do me a favour and lay off for a while, please!" I snap, shifting restlessly under her judgement. She closes her mouth and her eyes soften.

"Sorry," she mutters, reaching into the cell to ruffle my hair. "I'll be good."

"You can bitch at me later," I tell her with a wink.

Suddenly her eyes drift over to catch sight of a familiar face staring at her with a pained hunger in his gaze. She stiffens.

"Baralai?" she whispers, completely forgetting about us.

"Hi Paine," he greets, standing up uncertainly. Paine blinks and then glances back at me questioningly. I nod at her and offer her a quick smile of encouragement. She pulls away from me and drifts down to the end of the cell, where Baralai is waiting to meet her. The rest of us turn away to give them some privacy, closing our ears (somewhat reluctantly) to whatever conversation is developing between the two. Briefly my mind wanders back to recap the discussion I had with him before the gang showed up.

Suddenly the door bangs open and our eyes fall to the entrance, where a new figure is standing. My lips twist into an unavoidable grin.

"Yuna!" I call, unbelievably glad to see her. I forget to be ashamed that she is seeing me in a prison cell.

But she does not look at me. Frowning, I look down and realize that she is carrying a huge black duffel bag in one hand, a determined expression on her face. She marches over to the desk where the guard is sitting, gaping at her in shock.

"M-Miss Ressan?" he stutters, sitting upright in his chair. "What are you doing here?"

Yuna strides forward purposefully and tosses the bag onto the desk, sending papers and pens flying galore. She folds her arms over her chest and gives the guard a serious look.

"Four thousand gil," she says in a business-like voice. "I believe that is sufficient enough to bail out my friend?"

The guard stands up hastily. "Uh, er . . . yes! Yes, plenty, Miss Ressan," he says quickly, gathering the duffel bag up into his arms.

Yuna's eyes flicker over to Paine and Baralai, and then it returns to the stammering policeman.

"I'll throw in another two thousand if you can get that other young man out as well," she proposes, nodding towards Baralai and pulling out a thick wad of paper gil from her inner coat pocket. The guard gapes at her, and then nods stupidly. "Good. Release them, please."

The gang steps aside as the guard springs into action, grabbing the cell door keys and shuffling over towards the sliding bar door.

As soon as the door slides apart, I find myself swept up in a massive group hug. Paine and Baralai give each other a tentative embrace, but when they pull back they are still standing remarkably close.

When everyone draws away from me, I find Yuna still standing near the desk, simply regarding me with a small smile on her face. I grin back and move towards her, pushing my way through the gang.

"Thank you," I whisper, pulling her into a quick hug. "I don't deserve what you did. You should have left me to rot here overnight."

I feel her smile into my shoulder. "A true friend would never do that," she says kindly. "Besides, it's been a while since I made a little trip to the bank. The employees were getting worried about me."

I chuckle against the side of her head and take a step back, still allowing myself the luxury of having my hands on her arms. But when the humour dies away, I suddenly remember where we are, and I feel myself frowning worriedly. The smile fades from her lips and she tilts her head to the side, staring at me curiously.

"Look, Yuna . . ." I begin slowly. "I, uh . . . I'm sorry you had to see me here. It . . . this isn't a usual thing for me."

Her expression softens. "Tidus, it's all right," she says swiftly. "I'm not here to judge you. I am just glad you're okay. You can tell us everything later, right?"

"Right," I agree, swelling up with pleasure on the inside. It is ridiculous how glad I am to know she's not angry or disgusted with me.

"Hey, Yuna," Baralai says quietly at our side. Yuna turns to face him and smiles gently.

"Yes?"

"Uh, thanks. I mean . . . you didn't have to do that for me," he mumbles, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "It was real decent of you, you know?"

"Don't worry about it," Yuna says, patting his arm in an almost motherly fashion. I am both surprised and annoyed to feel myself bristling with jealousy at the short contact between them.

That is a problem, my friends. The second Tidus Lorac gets jealous is the day hell freezes over.


	20. A Light for Lillith

Holy shizzle! I'm blown away by all the reviews for chapter 19! Sheesh, are you people THAT easy to please? Hah, I'm kidding of course; you know I could never take you guys for granted! Thank you for being so supportive, it really makes all this worthwhile. Anyway, I'm glad the _general_ consensus is that the bisexuality thing didn't bother you, and for those of you who don't like it, thanks for reading through all the same.

And by the way, yes, I will be bringing back Dona and Seymour to the story eventually, but I don't want them to be majorly involved because it would be way too easy to turn them into the bad guys. Besides, I want most of this to focus on the world outside of high school, and quite frankly, those two have absolutely nothing to do with the gang's environment. Oh, and for anyone who is wondering, yes, I do plan on mentioning the death of Tidus' mother in a bit more detail later on.

I'm really unsatisfied with this chapter. For some reason it was very difficult to write, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for too long until my creativity kicks in again.

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YUNA

No matter how many reassuring smiles I give Tidus, on the inside I am squirming at the idea of him sitting in a prison cell. Up until now I never truly believed he was capable of the things people have said he was. I refused to think that there was an indecent bone in Tidus' body because I was too enamoured by his carefree spirit and tough-but-secretly-kind nature. It did not occur to me until tonight that there was a chance that he could have hurt someone tonight. He could have used a switchblade on a helpless old man, or a cop. He could have kept that stolen gil. And as dear as he is to me, I simply cannot fathom how I have been so blind.

I wilfully chose to brush aside the darker aspect of his upbringing; I chose not to look around at the world he comes from. In all my arrogance (I know now that I have had that in abundance) I believed that Tidus would never resort to criminal means with me around.

Striding next to him, I occasionally see him dart a quick look in my direction out the corner of my eye. I can sense the uncertainty inside of him. He wants to talk to us about what happened, but I seem to be the only person really concerned about it. Rikku and Gippal are laughing at some joke I haven't been listening too, while Wakka and Lulu are heatedly discussing the difference between a slut and a prostitute. Paine is walking in silence, a dreamy expression on her face. Although we invited Baralai to come along with us, he politely declined and said he had to take care of some 'business', on which he did not elaborate. But before he left, we all caught the quick kiss he gave Paine. For her sake we decided not to tease her about it, but every now and then we shoot her discreetly pleased smiles. She hasn't noticed so far.

At one point Tidus reaches over and touches my hand. When I look up at him, he gives me a fleeting smile, which I tightly return. I am not angry with him, really. No real harm was done tonight in spite of its seriousness, but the whole situation still makes my stomach knot with anxiety. I am uncomfortable with the revelations intruding in my mind.

I know with a certainty I cannot place that Tidus is a good person. He is by no means perfect (who of us truly is?), but there is so much beauty in him that he simply glows with it. I have seen the distance in his gaze, heard the hard edge in his voice, and I have felt the heat of his anger. But I have also seen the love and affection he clearly holds for his friends, and the wonder with which he seems to regard a great deal for life and its intricate mysteries. And because of the complexities of his character, I have come to love him with an intensity and fascinated sense of respect that I have never felt before.

"Ow!" Tidus exclaims suddenly, cutting into my thoughts. I turn and look at him, startled as we all come to a halt. He is clutching his jaw tenderly, frowning in apparent pain. Rikku is staring at him in surprise.

"What?" she demands, sounding indignant. "It was just a little slap, Ti. No need to get all touchy."

"A, what you and I consider to be a 'little slap' are two very different things," he growls, shooting her a scowl. "And B, I already have a bruise there the size of a fucking shoe print in case you didn't notice."

Rikku leans forward to squint in the darkness and then suddenly looks remorseful.

"Oh, sorry!" she says, wrapping an arm around his waist apologetically. "How did you get that thing?"

He shifts uncomfortable and steals a quick look in my direction as Rikku drops her arm from him. When he sees me staring back, he glances away almost immediately. "I hit it on the pavement during my . . . encounter," he explains, keeping his eyes on his feet.

"Here, let me see," I command, gently taking his chin in hand so I can turn his head and examine the bruise. I am aware of his eyes on me, fierce with their depth and shine.

"What do you prescribe, Doctor Yuna?" Gippal asks in a mockingly serious tone. I make a face at him before returning my attention to Tidus' malady.

"Just hold still for a minute," I tell him, moving my hand to rest over the bruise. He flinches at the shift of my touch, but he obeys me with a small smile hovering on his lips. It is then that I remember that the gang does not know of my White Magic abilities. Oh well. They'll learn soon enough.

I close my eyes and direct a string of my magic down through my arm and fingertips, gathering in Tidus' injured jaw. I feel him tense up with surprise, and sense the others watching intently, but I brush the disturbances out of mind.

A few moments later I pull away, opening my eyes once more and removing my hand. Tidus quickly reaches up to feel the bruise before a look of wonder appears on his features.

"Shit," he whispers, laughing uncertainly. "How did you . . .?"

"I had no idea you're a White Mage," Lulu says with pure admiration, while Wakka whistles through his teeth. Rikku and Gippal exchange amazed looks, while Paine just shakes her head at me slowly.

"Thanks," Tidus says, grinning broadly at me. "At least you're good for something useful, right?"

"Hey!" I protest, fighting my own smile. I swing at him playfully, and he dodges skilfully with a loud whoop. Our laughter echoes down the quietly lit street.

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Rather than walk all the way back to Rikku's, we all decide to stop at Lulu and Paine's house, which is much closer. It is certainly not an appealing structure aesthetically speaking, as it is filthy and very run down. The windows are grimy with dust, and most of them are boarded up. The floor is either covered with a mouldy grey carpet or choppy hardwood that would probably leave devastating splinters on bare feet. The ceiling is low and marred with countless water stains, and there are no light fixtures aside from naked light bulbs.

The second I walk inside behind the twins and in front of Tidus, I feel my blood suddenly go cold. I stop abruptly and my breath hitches in my throat. Tidus walks around me and throws me a confused stare before following the girls into the house.

"What is it, Yunie?" Rikku asks me, frowning worriedly. Wakka and Gippal move by me obliviously, but I feel Tidus give me another strange look.

"Something's wrong," I whisper, beginning to tremble. The air is charged with a darkness that makes my flesh tingle painfully. There is an ominous silence deafening me. "Oh God, something is terribly wrong."

"Mother?" Lulu calls, checking the run-down kitchen.

"Mom?" Paine tries, poking her head in what appears to be a small bedroom.

"Hey Lillith, you home?" Wakka bellows, tramping into the living room and making himself at home. Do none of them feel it? Do none of them sense the foreboding in the air?

My eyes fall to a white door with paint chips peeling off the wood. I swallow thickly and reach a trembling hand towards the small brass doorknob, wanting more than anything to turn tails and run.

"Where the hell is she?" Paine demands from somewhere down the hall, addressing her twin sister. "She is not supposed to be working an extra shift tonight. Didn't she say she would be home early?"

Her voice sounds very far away, smothered under the loud hammering of my heart.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, I shove the white door open and stand motionless in the threshold.

I scream.

A woman is lying huddled on the floor, naked except for a white t-shirt. Her long black hair, streaked with grey, falls into chaotic spirals on the linoleum floor around her shaking shoulders. Thin legs are curled up against her chest. A thin layer of sweat forms a gleaming film over her ghastly pale skin. There is blood everywhere.

In an instant, Lulu and Paine appear at my back. Shoving past me, Lulu releases an inhumane shriek and falls down at her mother's side, while Paine stands frozen in shock behind me.

I am vaguely conscious of the others flocking around the door, but the strength flees from my legs and I collapse to my knees, clutching the doorframe so that I draw blood from beneath my nails. Rikku cries out and staggers back against Gippal's chest, who starts moaning and buries his face in her hair. Wakka begins shouting the most violent streak of curse words I have ever heard, but I can barely register it.

Time has slowed down. The world has stopped spinning.

I want to be empty and unfeeling. I don't want to know this heart-wrenching emotion that consumes me from the very core. I don't want to see that woman's shivering body in the middle of a bloodstained floor. I don't want to hear Lulu's anguished howls. I don't want to feel Paine's unmoving body standing stiffly nearby, immobile and numb.

Dear Yevon let me be numb too. I cannot bear this.

Tidus abruptly grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me, roughly jarring me out of my state.

"Do something!" he roars, his eyes wide with panic. "For the love of Yevon, _do something_! Use your magic!"

I hesitate for a long moment, simply gazing into him blankly. But when I feel his fingers tightening on my arms, all my instincts start clamouring. Without a second thought I jerk out of his grasp and push my way into the tiny bathroom, suddenly knowing what I can do. Lulu is huddled over her mother's form, shaking her desperately.

"Mother!" she chokes, lifting the woman's head into her arms. "Oh God . . . don't do this! Dear Yevon, you can't do this to me!"

Paine has started crying silently, sinking down in the corner of the bathroom. She is unable to take her ruby eyes off her sister and mother. She is completely expressionless, and were it not for the tears rolling down her cheeks, I would not have guessed that she was weeping at all.

"Move," I command in a raspy voice. Lulu swears viciously at me and doesn't move from her place. I grab her by the back of her dress and heave her out of my way. There is no time to lose.

"Shut up, all of you!" I snap, strangely aware of a new calm flooding through me. "I can help her."

I kneel down next to the twins' mother and lift up the woman's head, somehow indifferent to the overpowering smell of blood around me. I feel it soaking through my jeans and dampening my legs. What was that name Wakka called earlier? Lillith?

"Lillith," I say softly, staring down into a pair of familiar tear-stained crimson eyes. They are dim and hazy from blood loss. She is so close to death; I can feel it hovering over her like a black cloud. "Lillith, I need you to follow my light. Can you do that? Can you make your way back to your daughters?"

"My girls . . . my babies . . ." Lillith murmurs, her pale lips quivering. "Twins."

"Yes. Now look for the light, Lillith. Don't go to the darkness. Your girls need you here."

I gently lay her back down and begin searching for the injury that is causing so much devastation. There is a deep gash in each wrist, too deep for coagulation to do any good now. The blood is oozing slowly like two calm deliberate rivers from the same source. It won't be long before she completely succumbs. I bite my lip and shake my head once. _No._ I will not allow that to happen. For Lulu and Paine's sake, I will not let Lillith die!

I close my eyes and fold my hands around her lacerated wrist, taking a deep breath to calm myself. The rest of the universe slowly begins to fade from my awareness. I no longer hear Lulu screaming, nor do I hear Paine's uneven whimpers.

Reaching into the deepest pool of my magic, I draw out a thread of white light in my mind's eye. With delicate precision born from patience and experience, I channel the light into Lillith's wounds. I can see the magic slowly beginning to fuse the skin back together and repair the severed tissue. I feel sweat forming at my hairline, dripping down my temple and between my shoulder blades. Calmly I force the discomfort at bay, as I cannot afford to break my concentration now. Once more I direct my attention to the task at hand. I mend the slashed artery in each wrist, clenching my jaws to fight my growing exhaustion. I have never had to use so much energy before. I am used to healing small cuts and bruises, and even a few fractured bones, but all that requires is minimal skill. This is an intense healing process, and not only do I have to seal the wounds, but I also have to restore the blood loss that will surely kill her.

I do not know how much time has gone by, but suddenly I am aware of a new kind of silence. I open my eyes and feel a wave of nausea and dizziness hit me. I vomit onto the floor and then collapse onto my side, my vision blurring.

And then there is darkness all around me, and I know no more.

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I open my eyes slowly, aware of warm softness all around me. I moan in pain as a pounding headache overwhelms me and I roll onto my side, eager to hide in the gloom of the corner I find myself pressed against.

Some time later, my memory catches up with me. I sit up abruptly and, trying to ignore the unexpected surge of queasiness hitting me, I pull myself out of the bed. I am in a small dark room with all the windows boarded up, and the smell of mothballs does little to ease my aching head. Where is everyone? The house feels very still and quiet. Is Lillith all right? Where are the twins?

"Hello?" I croak, stumbling out the door. "Lulu, Paine?"

I feel my way down the narrow hallway until a familiar shape comes dashing around the corner, nearly slamming into me.

"YUNIE!" Rikku squeals, throwing her arms around me. "Thank goodness you're okay. We were so worried about you!"

"I'm fine Rikku," I assure her, trying to pry her off with as much strength as I can. "Really. It's just that . . . would you mind loosening your grip a bit?"

"Right, sorry," she says meekly, releasing me at once. At that moment, Tidus, Gippal, and Wakka appear behind her. Wakka and Gippal give me a big two-way hug, lifting me off the ground and practically suffocating me.

"You're a miracle worker, you know that?" Gippal tells me, tousling my hair after they both set me down and leave me gasping for air.

Tidus moves forward and puts his hand on my shoulder, biting his lip worriedly. I note how pale he looks, and I fleetingly wonder if it was concern for Lillith or me.

"How do you feel?" he asks me softly. I smile up at him and touch his arm to reassure him, having regained my breath. There is still a lingering trace of fear in the depth of his cerulean eyes.

"I'm all right," I tell him. "But I'm more anxious about Lillith. How is she doing? And what about Lulu and Paine?"

"They're in the kitchen making us all dinner," Tidus replies with a crooked grin. "Lillith says she's never felt more energized. She wanted to see you as soon as you got out of bed and give you her thanks."

"I ain't ever seen Lulu and Paine so emotional, ya?" Wakka says to me as we make our way towards the kitchen. "They never cry, at least not in front of us." He looks so sad that I cannot help but link arms with him.

"Did Lulu cry for Chappu?" I ask him gently. He glances up at me in surprise, and I can feel Tidus' gaze sharpen on my back as he walks behind me.

"No," Wakka answers slowly. "No, she didn't. Not that any of us ever saw. I think she keeps all that stuff inside, ya? But . . . how did you know about-"

"She saw the pictures in my room, so I told her about him," Rikku cuts in, smiling at me. I glance over at Tidus, who abruptly avoids my eyes. I remember Rikku's words earlier in her basement room. Do I really remind Tidus of Chappu? Is that why he seems to care about me so much? The thought is both comforting and troubling.

Upon entering the kitchen, the first thing I see is the three women standing next to the stove, leaning over something boiling in a pot. Lillith is wearing a faded blue house rob and her black hair is tied up in a loose bun with stray strands falling down to frame her elegant shaped face. Her ruby eyes, framed with crows' feet and wrinkles, are creased into a smile as she laughs at something Paine says. Lulu is smiling widely, but I can still sense her heart fluttering with fear. I feel a powerful stroke of sympathy. She and Paine nearly lost their mother tonight. Even though I lost mine years ago, beyond the reach of memory, I can understand how difficult such a blow would be for them. Their father abandoned them nine years ago, and since then the three of them seemed to have a bond that was just as strong as the bond they shared with the rest of the gang, only on a completely different level. Lulu and Paine needed their mother in a way they would never need the gang, dear as their friends were to them.

Lillith glances up at me and the smile freezes on her mouth. She wipes her hands on her robe and steps towards me, her eyes never leaving me. When she is about an arm's length away and a strange quiet falls over the room, the woman suddenly reaches out to me and pulls me in a tight, unexpected embrace.

"I cannot thank you enough," she whispers against my shoulder. "I don't deserve what you did for me, Miss Yuna."

"Of course you do," I reply, returning the embrace. She smells like oranges, and her hair is slightly damp from a previous shower. "I would never forgive myself if I didn't step in and help. I'm just glad we all made it in time."

"I didn't mean to let myself sink so far down," Lillith admits, pulling back from me slightly. It is then that I realize that she is my height, and slightly shorter than her twin daughters. Her bone structure is light and slender, not curvy like Lulu or angular like Paine. "It's just such a shame that our first meeting should be under such circumstances. My girls have told me so much about you."

"Really?" I ask, startled. The twins look slightly embarrassed, wearing identical half-grins, and nod at me from behind their mother's back.

"Oh yes. Why, I already feel as if I know you so well," Lillith says with a light chuckle, affectionately tucking a lock of hair out of my face. The gesture is somehow very comforting, akin to what my own mother may have done for me had she lived to raise me.

Lillith is one of those women that simply radiate matronly kindness without appearing condescending or presumptuous. She is soft and inviting in a way that differs greatly from her daughters, who are cool and reserved, not often quick to express amusement. Perhaps they inherited their personalities from their father's side.

I smile back and allow Lillith to lead me towards the stove, where she is intent on showing me what she is cooking. Amazing how not too long ago, this woman was inches away from self-inflicted death, with a whole world of misery reflecting in her eyes. Now there is hardly any shred of darkness inside of her, and I cannot help but marvel at the range of emotions that must swirl inside of her constantly. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I feel a delightfully strong connection to the mother I never knew.

And all around me, the gang gathers close by as if to catch a ray of Lillith's soothing, if not unfortunately brief, warm glow.

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Yeah, I know! Not too much Tidus/Yuna action, but it will get better, I promise. And if this chapter confused anyone, remember I mentioned earlier that Lillith has chronic depression and that she cut her wrists while she was overcome with a particularly bad episode. I apologize if it doesn't seem very realistic, but trust me when I say I know from experience.


	21. Confrontation

OKAY. First of all, I am _so_ sorry this took so long. After getting back from Thailand (check chapter 25 of _Children of Light_ for info), my computer caught a virus and I was unable to use it for about two and a half weeks or so. And THEN I was struck by the dreaded writer's block. Again. The process of writing this chapter was excruciatingly long and drawn out. But anyway, thank you for the reviews! Hopefully this chapter will make up for the long wait. Enjoy more contemplative Tidus scenes.

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TIDUS

I had a dream about my mother last night.

In my dream, Mom was sitting in a garden with her feet dipped in a fishpond, smiling up at me as I approached her. I get my blond hair and blue eyes from her. Yevon, she was beautiful. We didn't talk or anything. I just sat on the grass next to her and dipped my feet in the water like her, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. She whispered something in my ear, but I don't remember what she said. I smiled though. It must have been something nice.

Strange that I haven't really thought of it after all these years. You'd think that something like the traumatic loss of my mother would leave some kind of lasting impression on me, but . . . well, I did what any other nine year old would do. I adjusted. I mourned in my own, small way and then I moved on.

She was gang raped and beaten outside the diner where she worked as a waitress. Doctors said it took her about two hours to die after they left her. She couldn't move (they'd broken both her legs and one of her elbows), and she couldn't even use her voice to call for help.

I don't even know the names of the fuckers who did all that to her. To be honest, I don't even remember the details of the trial all that much. All I know is that three people were blamed, the supposed ringleaders, and I have no idea what happened to the other guys. Or if there even were other guys.

I remember that's when Jecht started drinking more. He always did like his booze to a certain degree, but it was different all of a sudden. He would get completely hammered every night for a long time. I've lost track of how many trips to the hospitals he's taken, or how many times I've had to pull him out the tank at the police station.

Jecht used to be a famous blitzball player, known all over the city and even beyond for his talents in the arena. Things were always kind of shaky between him and my mom. He would shout and scream at her a lot, and she would cry herself to sleep more nights than I can count. But, in spite of everything, some sixth sense inside told me that they did love each other very deeply.

One year before Mom was murdered, Jecht left us. He just packed up and left without a single word or letter explaining why, or where he was going. Sixth months later he came back, looking worse and more haggard than I'd ever seen. He told us he just needed to get away and clear his mind, although it looked to me like he'd been killing it with alcohol to an even more excessive degree than he does now.

Things were okay for a while. Dad seemed more sober than usual upon returning, and he and Mom were a lot better. I have this memory of sitting at the kitchen table before going off to school. Mom was standing at the kitchen sink, just staring out the window and humming to herself. Then Jecht came in, moving behind her so quickly that even I didn't see it coming. He slipped his arms around her waist and said, "It is insane how much I love you, Kalia."

She smiled up at him over her shoulder and kissed him. It wasn't like an innocent husband-and-wife-kiss-in-front-of-the-kids sort of thing. I mean, it was like a move-scene kiss between the two hopelessly in love main characters. I stared at them in shock, my nine-year-old brain ready to pop with astonishment. I'd never seen such a display of affection between them before.

When Jecht pulled away, he turned around and ruffled my hair and then practically skipped out of the room.

Sick, isn't it?

Still, it's one of the few happy memories I have of that time. Hell, it's one of the few happy memories I have period.

I lie awake in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time before tilting my head back to examine the red neon numbers of my clock radio. Five o'clock in the morning. Fuck.

After unsuccessfully trying to go back to sleep, I roll out off the mattress and get up to take a shower.

It is only when I am standing in the shower stall that I remember also having a dream about Yuna last night. I frown and struggle to recollect the details, and slowly they start coming back to me piece by piece.

I dreamed she was standing alone in the dark somewhere. I could hear traffic rushing all around her, but I couldn't see it. She was crying softly, not sobbing hysterically or anything. I'd never seen anyone look so helpless and desperate before. I tried calling her, tried reaching out to her, but the dream faded before she saw or heard me.

I shudder and turn off the water after rinsing my hair out. I _really_ don't want to have that dream ever again.

With nothing else to do for another hour (after discovering that the fridge is empty yet again), I go back to my room to draw. Strangely, I notice as I sit down that my sketchbook is already open to a recent drawing. My eyes take in a picture of my mother. I frown and peer closely at it. I don't remember drawing this recently. In fact, I don't think I've ever drawn my mother before.

It is just a simple portrait, nothing special and certainly not my best, but I can't help but stare at it for a moment. Do I really look that much like her? People used to tell me I inherited a lot of features from my mother, blond hair and blue eyes being the most obvious traits. I have my dad's skin and bone structure, but I have her smile and the same frown.

I don't remember who told me that. Maybe it was a relative or an old family friend I've lost touch with.

What a fucking weird morning.

Shaking my head, I turn to a fresh page, pencil at the ready. Automatically I begin to outline Yuna's face. I've become quite good at ignoring the fact that I have drawn nothing _but_ Yuna for the last couple of weeks.

It is almost eight o'clock when I bolt out of my chair and realize that I have to go to school.

"Shit," I curse, grabbing my jacket and darting towards the window. I charge down the fire escape at break-neck speed and land with a loud thud on the street below. The gang will have already left without me, assuming I'm sick, skipping, or dead. Okay, I made that last one up, but I honestly wouldn't put it past them to come up with something like that.

Surprise, surprise, I'm late for my first class, Art. I skid to a rather ungraceful stop outside the door just as the bell rings. Pausing to collect myself, I peer through the window of the door and see Yuna taking a seat in her usual place at the back of the room next to my empty chair.

I enter with the same attitude that I've always had when walking into a class. Miss Faradi, who is in the middle of a sentence, pauses long enough to give me 'the look' before nodding curtly towards the back of the room and continuing on.

Yuna smiles cheerfully at me as I sit down next to her. "The gang told me you were either sick, skipping, or dead," she informs me with a mock serious look. I chuckle and roll my eyes.

"Why am I not surprised," I reply with a grin. "I just woke up late."

She smiles understandingly, not picking up on my little white lie. "Well, I'm just glad you aren't dead. Who else would entertain me throughout Art?"

"What is this, 'Not Appreciate Tidus Day'?" I cry, pretending to be outraged as she giggles behind her hand.

"Mr. Lorac . . ."

"Sorry, Professor."

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I come home right after school at the end of the day for the first time in a while. Yuna went to see a movie with Dona and her friends (why she's still friends with that skank I'll never know), Rikku and Gippal are hanging out at 8-Ball's with Rin, and Wakka and the twins are crashing the mall. Since I'm not particularly in the mood to do any of those things, and I have a giant math exam coming up, I decide to just head home and stay in for the night.

Jecht is in the living room watching TV when I get home. Without even glancing at him, I walk by to go to my room when suddenly he speaks.

"How the bloody hell do you know Auron and Braska?"

I freeze in my tracks and slowly turn around, wondering if I heard him correctly. He is staring fixedly at me and I wish to Yevon I could read the look on his face. He looks sober.

"What are you talking about?" I ask in turn, still not totally grasping the situation. He _did_ just say Auron and Braska . . . right?

Jecht stands up slowly from the couch, still watching me with that damnably closed expression.

"Don't play dumb with me, boy. Auron Salvers called here twenty minutes ago, asking for you. How the fuck do you know him?"

The scary thing is, I know he's angry. But he's not yelling or spitting at me. He's not hitting me or throwing shit around. Is this what sober Jecht is like? I don't like it. I do not like this quiet calm pissed off Jecht.

I lick my lips and try to figure out why all this is making me nervous. So what if I kind of know Auron? Why is that such a big deal?

"He works for a friend of mine," I begin in as cool a voice as I can pull together.

"You're friends with Yuna Ressan?"

"Uh, yeah, but how did you-"

"_Everybody_ knows he works for her and _only_ her. My question is, why is _he_ calling for _you_? How long have you been friends with Yuna, and when the fuck were you going to tell me?" He begins advancing towards me.

"Look, Jecht, why are you freaking out about this?" I snap, wishing I had some kind of weapon with me. For the first time I think I am feeling actual fear of him. Jecht and I are about evenly matched for size and weight, and I am probably a lot faster than he is, but there is no doubt that he is the most intimidating human being I've ever known. Not to mention he can still pack a pretty decent punch.

He hesitates for a second at my question and his expression seems to give way to some kind of dawning realization before he quickly masks it with anger. "Shut up," he snarls. "If I want to know why the daughter of the fucking High Summoner is hanging out with my good-for-nothing son, it's _my_ business."

"So how the fuck do _you_ know Auron?" I shoot back, clenching my fists.

"I'm asking the goddamn questions here!" he growls, backhanding me across the face. I flinch, but stand my ground, resisting the temptation to rub at my mouth where his knuckle hit. "Now answer me. How long have you known Yuna?"

"A few weeks."

"Have you ever been to her place?"

"Once."

"Has _she_ ever been here?"

"One time only."

"Have you met Auron and Braska?"

"Sort of."

"Boy . . ." he begins threateningly, raising his hand again.

"Both of them on separate occasions, only one time each, okay?"

He takes a deep breath and then steps back from me.

"All right," he whispers, dropping his hand. "All right."

The silence is so oppressive I can almost choke on it.

"So . . . what did Auron want?" I venture cautiously. Jecht glares sharply at me.

"He wants you to meet him at the mansion," he spits, practically hissing out the last word. "Says _Lord_ Braska has something to discuss with you. Any clues?"

"News to me," I confess with a shrug. "I don't know what he wants. I was under the impression he didn't like me."

To my surprise, Jecht actually laughs a little at that. "You and me both, boy."

"Huh?"

"Forget it. Just call him back and get this whole thing over with. He left his cell phone number for you."

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A middle-aged woman appears in the doorway after I ring the bell, standing nervously on the front steps of Yuna's mansion. Rather than causing a scene by having Auron pick me up in that monster limo outside my apartment building, I opted to take a cab on my own.

"You must be Tidus," she says in a soft voice. She has dark brown hair and matching eyes that instantly make me feel like I'm sinking into a sea of liquid chocolate. "My name is Belgemine. Please, come in."

I nod wordlessly and step inside, shuddering at the strange cold of the house. I hadn't noticed it when I was last here.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Belgemine asks me, adjusting her apron busily. "I just made brownies."

"Uh, no thanks. Maybe later."

"Very well. I'll take you to Lord Ressan's library. He is waiting for you there."

Part of me wants to smirk at that name. It's almost hard to believe that the father of one of my best friends goes by the name _Lord_ Ressan.

Belgemine leads me on a marathon tour across the house (I'm to understand that we've _only_ traveled through the west wing) until we reach a set of enormous double doors at the end of a long hallway.

The maid nods at me and gestures to the door, which is open a crack.

Taking a deep breath, I take a hesitant step into the library. My eyes take in a massive room with floor-to-ceiling shelves stuffed to the max with books and volumes. There are more books here than I've ever seen in my entire life. At the far end of the room, a single figure is standing by the window. There is a bottle of brandy and one glass on a small table next to a large plush chair by the fireplace.

Braska turns around and stares at me from across the gap between us. Even from where I stand, I can see the cold blue of his eyes taking in every dingy detail of my clothes. I am almost tempted to try and tame my hair for once, just to wipe that scowl off his stupid face. But I stand still, matching his stare contempt for contempt. I won't be made to feel small in this asshole's presence.

"So," he begins, taking a few leisurely steps in my direction. "You decided to take up my invitation. I must admit I am a little surprised."

"Yeah, well, I'm full of surprises."

He smirks slightly, a weird somehow ironic smile that makes me want to grit my teeth.

"You are an interesting character, Mr. Lorac," Braska continues, taking a seat in the large chair. He sips his brandy thoughtfully, still watching me. "I can usually come to an immediate and usually correct conclusion about somebody upon first introductions. I sense much stubbornness and pride in you, and yet also a level head on your shoulders. Very little escapes you, does it?"

I fidget uncomfortably. "Sir, it's a school night. If you don't mind, could we just . . .?"

"Of course." He squints his eyes a bit at me and purses his lips. "But allow me another question."

"All right, shoot."

"How is your father doing these days?"

I stare at him and then straighten my back. "Drunker than most sailors tend to get, and about as angry. May I ask how you know my dad?"

He snorts at my answer and puts his glass of liquor down. "Your answer is not unexpected," he says bitterly, steepling his fingers. "Please have a seat."

I move across the room and sit on the chair in front of his, sensing inwardly that this little get together is going to last longer than I first anticipated.

"Jecht was one of my guardians ten years ago. He helped me defeat Sin," Braska says abruptly, his words soft but sudden.

I feel my grip tighten on the armrest and my breath catches in my throat.

"P-pardon?"

Knowing somehow that I heard him perfectly well and that I am just scrambling for words to say in response, he turns his head to stare into the fire. "He and Auron accompanied me all over Spira, visiting the temples and gathering aeons as we went. We were best friends in high school, the three of us. Although Auron and Jecht never went to university like I did, we kept in touch as best as we could. But, after the pilgrimage ended, things just . . . fell apart between us."

For the first time I catch a glimpse of something close to vulnerability in this man. I lean forward eagerly. "How?"

Braska shrugs and turns to face me again. "Many reasons, I suppose. Battling a force like Sin changes people, young man. Very few men have come face to face with it and remained the same afterwards. Jecht, just . . . handled it differently than Auron and myself, I suppose."

"Booze," I supply quietly, more to myself than to him.

"Precisely. But, perhaps in the end it was meant to be so. Most friendships never last a lifetime, no matter how strong they may seem at the beginning," he muses, pouring more brandy for himself. He does not see the alarmed look on my face as his words sink in.

_Some friendships last forever_, I argue quietly. _Some never die_.

"So, you and Auron just sort of . . . separated from my dad?"

"We all had different priorities to attend to. Jecht and I had families to take care of, and Auron had to put his mind at rest after facing Sin. Since he did not have any children or a woman to go home to, I offered him the job of protecting Yuna should anything ever happen to me," he explains, somehow lacing his words with a bit of superiority. "But I suppose I should just get straight to the point and tell you why I brought you here."

I perk up slightly, after momentarily losing myself in thought. He leans forward in his seat and pulls something out of his coat pocket. I frown. Is that a checkbook?

"I want you to stay away from my daughter, Tidus," he says in a much colder tone, a gold pen appearing in his hand. "I am willing to pay you whatever you want in exchange."

If he had jumped out of his chair, plonked himself in my lap, and kissed me full on the mouth, I could not have been more shocked. Or angry.

I leap to my feet in outrage. "Excuse me?" I demand hoarsely, hardly able to believe the sheer _arrogance_, the _nerve_ of him to ask this of me. "You're going to bribe me to stay away from Yuna?"

"You and your little gang, if you want to split the money," he confirms with a perfectly innocent expression.

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!" I roar, my own voice hurting my ears as it echoes sharply in the library. "HOW _DARE_ YOU EVEN THINK OF-"

"If you cannot control your temper in my house, kindly remove yourself," he interrupts swiftly, his voice infuriatingly calm to spite mine.

"What the hell gives you the right to consider something so low? Yuna is my friend. She's the whole gang's friend, don't you get it? I-_we_ care about her. She cares about us," I stammer, hardly able to control the flow of words from my mouth. I swear to _fucking_ Yevon I am about to rip his egotistical head off any second.

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffs, waving his hand at me. "Every man has his price. Now tell me: what's it going to take to keep you away from her?"

I stare at him in disbelief. We had been having a fairly decent conversation, at least a civil exchange of words, up until he pulled out that goddamn checkbook. Why this? Why this sudden change in attitude?

"Why?" I ask, my voice suddenly deadpanning. "Why can't you just accept the fact that she's with us?"

"I have worked too long and too hard, and sacrificed too many things in life to ensure that nothing will ever harm my daughter," he states calmly, twirling the pen almost nonchalantly in his fingers. "Her cavorting with you and your friends can damage all that I have worked for. Can you look me in the eye and promise me that you can protect her from the evils of your world?"

"No," I shoot back instantly. "Nobody can promise that, not even you. God, Braska, she is not some fucking _infant_ anymore! She's almost a woman, and a damn smart one too. What good do you think you'd be doing shielding her from everything she needs to know about? And for that matter, why is it your right alone to decide what she can and cannot do?"

"Do not question my role as her father, young man," he cuts in, his voice holding an edge that makes my skin crawl. "Do you think I want trash like _this_ haunting me for the rest of my life?"

He withdraws a roll of newspaper from his jacket and tosses it to me, and I catch it deftly with one hand. I unravel it and see the headline: **SUMMONER'S DAUGHTER RELEASED FROM OVER-NIGHT CELL. **

Underneath it is a picture of her, me, and the gang all leaving the police station the night I was caught trying to rob the old man. My heart constricts in my chest. I hadn't even seen any paparazzi hounding us that night, nor did I hear anything about this headline all day.

"Braska, it isn't what you think. Yuna was-"

"I know my daughter was not the one freed from jail, Mr. Lorac," Braska hisses, narrowing his eyes at me. "I am no fool; she would never be caught breaking the law for whatever reason. Nevertheless, the public will come to its own conclusions. It does not matter that you and I know the truth. Her reputation will be damaged from your little mistake, mark my words."

I clench and unclench my fists, not sure what to say. How can someone be so damn . . . so . . . are there even words for guys like him?

"Fuck you," I snap, turning to leave. "I'm not taking your money and I'm _not_ going to stop seeing Yuna. You can take that checkbook and shove it up your ass for all I care."

And with that, I storm out of the library before I can register his response.

Part of me never wants to set foot in this place again, but another part of me inexplicably knows that, for whatever reason, I will be coming back some day.


	22. Cornered and Betrayed

Thanks for the reviews! Greatly appreciated as per usual. Sorry for the delay, it took me a while to drag this chapter out. I ended up sort of rushing through it, so I haven't really done too much proofreading. Consequently, I'm not too pleased with how it came out. I also had to cut it a bit short unfortunately, which makes me unhappy. I may go back and do some revising on this chapter later, so fear not. Well, hopefully someone will enjoy it . . . (bites lip)

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YUNA

_It is far too early for this kind of thing. _

That is the first thing my mind registers as I feel the blanket around me suddenly being wrenched off and a familiar voice shrieking in my ear,

"WE GOT TICKETS TO LOTUS VENOM!"

Groaning, I reach out to flick on the bedside lamp and squint at my cousin's excited face. She clambers onto the bed to straddle me, hopping up and down on her knees. The clock next to the bed says that it is nearly two in the morning.

"What?" I ask sleepily, her words refusing to process. Grabbing my shoulders and hauling me up into a sitting position, Rikku repeats herself slowly but just as loudly,

"US! TICKETS! _LOTUS VENOM_!"

It is then that I realize what she is saying and I feel a stab of excitement in my heart. She pulls out seven red tickets and waves them in my face emphatically, ignoring Cid's irritated voice commanding her to shut up and go to sleep.

"Oh, Rikku!" I gasp, breaking out into an excited grin. "How did this happen? I heard on the radio that Lotus Venom sold out!"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rikku slides off and collapses next to me on the bed, a blissful smile on her face.

"Well, Gippal and I were at 8-Ball's talking to Rin tonight-"

"You mean _yesterday_. It's morning, Rikku, and we have to be at school in six hours."

"Will you shut up and let me finish?" she demands, swatting my arm impatiently. "Anyway, we were just talking and all of a sudden Rin asks us if we know who Lotus Venom is. Of course, we were both like 'Uh, DUH, Rin, they are only the band we've been worshipping since junior high'. Then he reached into his wallet and pulled out these very same tickets, saying that we would probably have more use for them then he did. He won them in some kind of raffle or auction, or something, I dunno. I wasn't really paying him any attention, because by then Gippal and I were freaking out and dancing around like morons." She pauses and smiles hugely at me. "Isn't that _amazing_, Yunie? Now we can all go to the concert and not have to worry about the gil!"

I smile and lie back down, a warm feeling of satisfaction growing in my stomach. "It's great, Rikku," I breathe softly, closing my eyes. I am trying to envision what the concert will look like in my mind. Somehow I doubt it will be anything like the operas Braska sent me to as a child with Auron.

Rikku yawns next to me and curls up on her side, cushioning her head on my arm. "Well, as psyched as I am to tell the others at school tomorrow- I mean _today -, _I am absolutely beat. Good night, cuz'."

"Good night," I reply with a smile, switching off the lamp. It takes me a long time to fall back asleep.

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I make my way to the girl's locker room of the school's gymnasium, still smiling at the memory of celebrating with the rest of the gang earlier today in the parking lot. Upon hearing the news of seven _free_ Lotus Venom tickets, the others erupted in raucous cheers that turned a few heads and raised a few questioning eyebrows. Tidus had even picked me up and spun me around in his delight, while Wakka was busy doing the same thing to Lulu and Paine (one girl in each arm).

I am walking away from a changing stall, dressed smartly in sweat pants and a white t-shirt for PE, when a firm hand grabs my shoulder and spins me around roughly, long manicured nails digging painfully into my flesh. Gasping, I come to an unsteady halt face-to-face with Dona's murderous black eyes.

"D-Dona?" I stammer, struggling to release myself from her grasp. "What are you-?"

"Getting mighty cozy with Tidus, are we?" she interrupts, her voice resembling a snake's hiss.

"What? Please let go, you're hurting me."

She forces her claws to dig deeper and, to my everlasting shame, I let out a small whimper of pain and fear. It is then that I realize that the locker room has grown steadily quiet, as the only ones left in it are Dona, her little clique, and myself. Her friends watch me with hollow, merciless expressions. I note that are seven of them in total, and I feel my heart fly into my throat.

"Let me guess; you figure getting him and his rat pack some tickets to Lotus Venom will guarantee his affection, am I right?" Dona continues, backing me up against the wall. I bring a hand up and try to pry her fingers off of me, but two girls move forward and forcefully pin my arms down. Dona releases me, but my captors are no gentler than she was.

_Oh Yevon, somebody come in here and save me. Please let somebody find me _. . .

"Dona, I really don't know what you're talking about. I didn't buy those tickets, those were a gift from somebody else-"

She silences me by slapping me across the cheek. I am stunned into immobility, staring open-mouthed and wide-eyed at her malicious smirk.

"Nice try, Princess. Forgive me for doubting that you, one of the richest girls in Spira, would never even dream of buying measly concert tickets," she says in a mockingly contrite tone.

Trembling, I implore her with my eyes as I try to ignore the burn in my cheek where her hand landed. "Dona, please let me go. This isn't what you think. Tidus and I are just friends!"

She snorts and rolls her eyes while her friends laugh scathingly. "Oh please. You expect me to believe that you have no feelings for him?"

I falter and avert my gaze. "It does not matter I feel, though I certainly can't speak for Tidus. There is nothing between us, I swear."

Dona seems to hesitate for a second before leaning in close, her face scant inches from mine. "Don't even try to fool yourself," she snarls dangerously. "Tidus wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole, not after having me. He can still have me, and trust me when I say that he will soon. You are nothing next to me. You aren't even close to my shadow, you hear?"

She pulls back slightly and her feral smile widens grimly. "I am the only one who could ever satisfy him. A real man needs a real woman, not some snot-nosed prude stuck on a high horse who thinks her shit doesn't stink."

Against my will, I feel tears of shame sting my eyes. I don't want to believe her, but a part of me is already swallowing the seeds of doubt she is planting inside of me. I cannot help but imagine myself standing next to her, and what Tidus would think at the sight. Her skin is dark and luscious, her black hair exotic and sleek, her legs long and shapely, and her breasts are full and inviting beneath the provocative clothes that only she could wear. I am pale, small-breasted, and completely unremarkable in comparison. Once I had fooled myself into thinking that maybe, just _maybe_ I could be considered beautiful, but the truth has come screaming back to me. Now I know differently.

She is a woman, and I . . . I am nothing but a _child_.

Seemingly sensing my weakened resolve, Dona smirks triumphantly. "Finally starting to see it, are we?" she taunts. "I knew you would. But just to be sure, I think this lesson needs to be driven home properly."

"Please . . ." I choke, struggling to find my voice, "please don't do this. Dona-"

And then, faster than my eye can follow, her fist rams into my stomach and knocks the wind out of my lungs. I gasp and double forward, but the girls holding me slam be back against the wall. The other girls standing behind Dona move forward and I watch through blurry eyes as they close in on me, blocking out any possible escape route.

Fear is making me struggle like a frantic animal cornered by a hunter. I am almost numb to the multitude of blows I am receiving; my mind is consumed by desperation. The girls are kicking me and punching and shoving me, hitting any available target on my body. For one second I am able to loosen myself from the girls who were holding my arms down, and in that brief moment of freedom all I can do is slide down to the floor and shield my head with my hands.

Through the blood rushing in my ears I can distinctly hear Dona commanding the girls to 'get me up again', and I feel myself being hauled mercilessly back upright. My head smacks into the wall and stars explode all around me as the attack continues. My face is being pummelled. My stomach and sides are being battered incessantly.

It is only when my eyes begin to cloud over that the beatings suddenly stop. Nearly blind, I fall to my knees and blink slowly. Everywhere is burning. Everything throbs and aches beyond pain I've ever felt. I taste blood in my mouth, and I can feel it oozing from my nostrils and staining my lips and chin. It takes me a moment to realize dimly that I have been crying the entire time. The tears feel like acid against my bruised skin.

"I think we've done enough," a girl I recognize as Elma whispers, breaking the electric silence following. "We did what we came here to do, Dona. Let's go now."

"Shut up," Dona snaps, glaring coldly at her friend. "We had an agreement, Elma. Stop being such a coward."

"Are you trying to kill her or something?" Elma presses urgently. "God, Dona, she's had it! Do you have any idea what she could do to us in turn? We could get put in jail for this. We've _done enough_."

"Somebody get her out of my face," Dona commands airily, turning away from her friend with disgust. Lucil pushes Elma down onto the nearest bench and whispers for her to just be quiet and do as Dona says. She lowers her head so that a curtain of brown hair falls over her face, and though I cannot see her expression, I cannot help but detect the whiteness of her knuckles as she grasps the edge of her seat.

Dona reaches down and grabs a fistful of my hair, determined to cause as much damage as she can. I cry out as she begins dragging me across the locker room, scrambling to liberate myself from this new form of agony. But she holds on tightly, and I can hear her laughing to her friends as they follow us to the shower stations.

She hurls me roughly into the corner of the first shower stall and then begins to grab at my shirt. I gasp sharply as the material gives way, but my body is too weak to fight back this time. The other girls advance and I watch through vacant eyes as they strip the clothes off my back. It is not long before I am cowering on the floor naked and exposed. I have never in my life felt so small and fragile as I do now.

Dona tosses the remnants of my clothes into the trashcan and then turns the shower tap. I flinch as the icy water cascades down on me, and I begin to shiver uncontrollably. My body still refuses to do as I say. My lips are too swollen and bruised to speak. All I can do is tremble on the floor, naked, battered, and too frightened to move.

Dimly I am aware of Dona leaning over me, just out of reach of the water's spray. Her face is a mask of pure vindictive smugness, and her friends stand behind her, watching me impassively like a row of six hawks on the prowl. I blink slowly. Six? Were there not seven just a moment ago?

Dona's deceptively calm voice cuts into my bleary thoughts.

"Tell anyone about this and I will see to it that we finish what we started. Your father may be powerful, but don't forget that I have connections as well. This will just be our little secret, okay?"

As she turns to leave, she stops and then faces me again. The contempt in her eyes burns just as much as her words. "And stay the hell away from my man."

No sooner than the words escape her lips, the door to the locker room slams open with a deafening crash and heavy footsteps come storming in. The girls in front of me whirl around and freeze like deer trapped in the headlights of an approaching car.

"Where the _fuck _is she,you_ goddamn _whore?" a voice I know better than any other shouts, resonating sharply in the locker room.

There is a span of about three seconds in which Dona hurriedly says, "Tidus, baby, I did it for us-"

"You _bitch!_" he roars, cutting into her desperate explanation. Though my body remains immobile, my heart soars with sudden joy. It's him. He came for me. I prayed for an angel and Yevon sent me one.

Tidus crosses the distance between the door and the shower stations so fast that I hardly realize what is happening before his fingers close around Dona's throat and he slams her against the nearest wall. The rest of the gang filters in like a pack of hunting wolves, followed by the last person I thought I would see in their company.

"Elma . . ." Lucil gasps faintly, staring at her friend in horror. Elma gives her an imploring look as Rikku rushes to my side and shuts off the cold water that has numbed my skin.

"I had to get them, Lucil," Elma replies in a slightly strained voice. "I had to stop this."

I am blind to this exchange, blind to Rikku's hands cupping my face and examining me worriedly. All I can do is stare up at Tidus as he pins Dona against the wall, his eyes swimming with a hateful rage I cannot even begin to perceive. He clenches his jaws and his teeth are bared viciously. I can see him tightening his grasp on Dona's throat, and I begin to wonder if he really means to kill her. Her toes are barely even touching the floor. I have never seen him so violent, so angry, so full of murderous hate.

So I am rather shocked to hear how remarkably quiet his voice is.

"I will tear every limb from your body if you ever –_ever-_ come near Yuna again. I _will_ kill you. I will kill you, your family, and your pathetic little friends too. I will destroy your life and everything you hold dear if you so much as breathe around her. Do you understand, Dona?" he asks softly, speaking through gritted teeth. When all she can do is gape wide-eyed at him, he tightens his hold around her neck and deepens his tone to an inhuman growl. "Do you_ fucking understand_?"

"Y-yes!" Dona coughs, tears streaming down her cheeks. "_Yes!_"

"Where are her clothes?" Paine venomously asks the girl nearest to her. The girl points a shaky finger to the trashcan, and Wakka swears viciously under his breath. Gippal is gripping his switchblade so tightly that I can imagine him breaking the handle. Lulu's fingertips are glowing faintly as a thunder spell threatens to unleash itself.

And then he drops her so roughly that she falls to her knees like a broken rag doll, unable to even make a sound. Lucil and another girl hurry forward and help her to her feet, moving swiftly under the lethal glares of my friends. After they exit, the other girls quickly follow them one by one, moving like mice around a sleeping cat. Elma is the last to go. She pauses at the doorway and gives me a long, pained look. Her bottom lip quivers.

"Anything you do to us in turn . . ." she begins in a quavering voice, shifting her gaze from me to Tidus, " . . . we will deserve it."

The gang stares her down and she slowly backs out of the locker room, dropping her gaze to the floor as she disappears from sight.

In the silence following the aftermath, I close my eyes bury my head into my arms. The weight of what happened to me crashes down on my head and I huddle naked under the eyes of my friends, wishing for a giant hole to open and swallow me up into its depths. Never have I wanted to be more invisible. Never have I longed for darkness so badly. Never have I felt so weak and ashamed and violated.

I feel a sudden warmth envelope me and I look up from the cradle of my arms to see Tidus kneeling in front of me on the wet floor tiles. His denim jacket is thrown protectively around my shoulders and I only have a fraction of a second to see the frightened pain in his eyes before he pulls me to the safety of his chest and holds me so tightly that I cannot even breathe.

"I am sorry," he chokes, his torn voice undulating in my ear. "Oh God I am so sorry. Yuna . . . _Yuna_ . . ."

It is then that I finally start sobbing. I press my face against him as far as his shoulder will allow and weep helplessly against him, clinging to him like a lost child that has just been found.

The rest of the gang closes in and circles the two of us in a giant embrace that drowns out the cold, yet it is only Tidus' arms that I feel around me, and only Tidus' voice that fills my head.


	23. Seed of Doubt

Thanks for being awesome reviewers!

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TIDUS

The first time Elma ever approached me with that look on her face, she was coming to tell me that Dona was severely drunk and was choking on her own vomit in the bathroom of a house party. It had been my job to sit her upright and hold her hair back as she emptied her stomach over the toilet bowl and then drag her ass home.

I'm supposed to be in math class right now, just as Rikku should be participating in gym, Paine and Gippal should be in Shop and Lulu and Wakka in Science. I should be laughing at something Rikku is saying in regards to the overweight PE teacher oggling girls in shorts and tight t-shirts. I should be watching the way Lulu is re-braiding her hair with those long pale fingers. I should be listening to Gippal and Wakka arguing over which videogame is the best. I should be silently agreeing with Paine as she rolls her eyes in disgust at the pointlessness of their debate. It's obvious that _Undead Gladiators from Hell_ is the best game ever. Why do they even bother discussing the matter? What's more, I should still be reeling with delight over the fact that we all have free tickets to see Lotus Venom this weekend.

But the moment I notice Elma hurrying towards us from the girl's locker room with _that look_, I forget all these things and feel my heart fly into my throat.

Something's wrong, and my instincts are telling me that this time, Dona's not the one in trouble.

"_Yuna's in trouble . . ."_

I don't even stand there to hear the rest of Elma's breathless sentence, because as soon as those first three words process in my mind I am already bolting towards the change room with the gang following close behind.

The world has turned red and gone deathly silent behind the roaring in my ears.

I don't really remember much about what happened in the time between me barging into the locker room and cradling Yuna against me. There are flashing images in my mind of Dona's terrified face, and the feel of her skin under my hand as I press her against the wall, but it's kind of like I'm looking at it all through the eyes of a stranger and not really experiencing it myself. I don't remember speaking the words that I said to her, but I can hear them resonating in my head, hot on my tongue and burning my mind. I meant every word. And Dona knows it.

Yuna looks so cold on the floor, naked and shivering like an abandoned foal. She needs to be warm. She needs someone to wipe the blood from her face and the tears from her eyes. She needs someone to fight away all those demons and the bad dreams and the shadows that seem to haunt the corners of her life.

At least I can take care of the first few things.

I don't even really know why I'm apologizing to her. Nevertheless, the words are pouring from my lips and I can't seem to stop them. It's only when I start talking that Yuna starts to cry, holding onto me as tightly as I'm holding her. She cries so softly that I wonder if she's making any noise at all but for the occasional hiccup against my shoulder.

I hate Dona. I _hate _her. I hate her so much it makes my stomach twist just thinking of her.

Sometime later (not sure how much time has gone by) I pull back a little bit to look her in the eye. "Can you heal yourself?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from shaking as I wipe the blood from her upper lip and chin. She blinks a few times before nodding slowly.

"I . . . I think so. It'll take a lot out of me, though."

She pulls my jacket tighter around her, hiding her nudity from our eyes even though we've already seen what she tries to conceal. It occurs to me with a jolt that I've just seen Yuna's bare body and I hadn't even realized it in my anger. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as I take a step back to give her more room. A pale white light glows beneath her skin and I can feel cool energy radiating from her. Her lips start to shake and more tears leak out from under her eyelids. I can see the bruises on her body slowly start to disappear, and just as they vanish completely she goes limp and lets her head sag forward, breathing heavily.

"No more," she pants. "I'll faint if I try to erase the pain right now. I-I can deal with it for a while."

Rikku and Gippal help her to her feet and I note with a rush of heat to my face that my jacket does not entirely cover her lower half. Realizing this, Paine quickly snatches a pair of sweatpants from the lost and found bin close by and hands them to her, giving me a discreet look out the corner of her eye. Slowly, still trembling weakly, Yuna tries to dress herself, but gasps as her fingers slip and cause her arm to twinge with obvious pain. Automatically, Lulu moves forward and helps her pull the sweatpants up, her jaw set grimly for the task. Yuna's face goes pink with shame.

She looks so pathetic that I have to turn away. If I keep watching her in this state I might go insane and beat the shit out of the next living thing I see. Briefly Lord Braska's words come back to me, taunting me as they dance circles in my head.

_Can you look me in the eye and promise me that you can protect her from the evils of your world?_

Once, part of me thought that I could.

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We end up taking Yuna back to Rikku's place, after sneaking out the back door of the locker room into the school's second parking lot. She is silent the whole time, and keeps her eyes to the ground at her feet. She moves between us like a prisoner being escorted to the electric chair.

Cid and Brother are both at work when we get to the duplex, but the crotchety old cat lady is sitting on her porch. She glares at us from her rocking chair, petting the three cats on her lap in a rather vicious way. The animals lie as if in defeat under her gnarled hand, knowing it is futile to try and escape from their mistress when she wants their company. I glare back and contemplate making a rude gesture, but Yuna stumbles up the front steps and I move swiftly to catch her around the middle.

"Sorry," she mumbles, hiding her face from mine. "Lost my balance."

I frown down at her and ask an incredibly dumb question. "Are you feeling okay?"

She replies tiredly that yes, she does.

"Do you feel light-headed?" Paine asks, as she and Lulu know more about 'doctoring' than anyone else in the gang.

"A little. Not badly, though."

She holds up two fingers. "How many?"

"Four. I mean, two. Two."

"Follow them."

Paine moves her fingers around before Yuna's face, and I watch with a clenched heart as Yuna determinedly follows their direction with her eyes. It seems to be a bit of a challenge for her, but she keeps up well enough. Paine doesn't seem totally convinced.

"I think you might have a slight concussion," she states. "If things get worse, we might have to take you to the hospital."

My innards squirm at the idea, but Yuna shakes her head forcefully. "No, no hospitals. I don't want anyone else knowing about this. I'll be fine, I just need to sit down for a while."

I guide her inside after Rikku unlocks the front door we automatically take her down to Rikku's room, where there is no light to hurt Yuna's eyes. She lies down slowly and sighs at the softness of the mattress, her brown hair pooling around her face.

I crawl onto the bed next to her and sit up right so that I can lean my back against the wall, and she mechanically turns to rest her head on my stomach. I swallow tightly as her arm drapes across my waist, and I slowly circle my arms around her. My fingers begin combing through her hair and I feel her sigh against me. Wakka flops down at the foot of the bed, and Rikku and Gippal position themselves on Yuna's other side. Paine perches on the edge of the mattress next to me, also leaning against the wall.

"Hey Lu," Wakka says softly as Lulu enters the room, having gone to the kitchen to get Yuna a glass of water. "You should sing for us, ya?"

I feel a small smile form on my lips. "Yeah, Lulu. Please?"

The mage sets the glass on the bedside table and straightens her posture. "Rikku, where's your acoustic?"

Rikku points eagerly to the closet door, and Lulu glides across the room to retrieve it. She pulls out the old guitar and strums it experimentally before tuning it to her taste. Then she returns to the bed and sits cross-legged at the corner of the mattress, settling herself comfortably.

Lulu has, quite simply, the deepest, softest, most velvety smooth voice of any person I know. Even the way she talks is musical.

The second her song starts, I feel like the universe is shrinking down and closing us all in its core. Time outside this little dimension of ours has frozen, and I am entranced as her words pour over us. I glance down and see that Yuna has her eyes closed as she listens, her head cushioned on my lower stomach. Her expression is so peaceful that I can almost forget what happened to her not long ago in the girl's change room.

Sometimes, I feel like the world can actually be perfect. The moments are rare, but when they happen, I can fool myself into believing it, no matter how fucked up my life can seem at the time. Just for a while, everything can be great.

Rikku is curled up against Gippal's chest, crying softly but with a smile on her face. Lulu's music always brings her to tears, but we know by now not to worry when we see them on her face. Wakka has an arm slung across his eyes, smiling lopsidedly. Paine leans her head back and occasionally lends her voice in harmony with Lulu. Though not quite as smooth as her twin's voice, Paine's voice is by no means a trial to listen to. Gippal has his face buried in Rikku's hair, too moved to do much else. The tough guy persona is all bullshit in moments like these; Gippal is a total sucker for music.

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Believe it or not, we didn't speak about the locker room incident right away. For the time being, we were just happy to linger in the warmth of Lulu's music. More than anyone, I think Yuna just wanted to forget about what happened and not worry about it, at least not now.

We spent the rest of the day just lazing around Rikku's house, watching movies and eating junk food. Yuna said that her head was feeling much better, and for some reason she is still wearing my jacket and the stolen sweatpants. I kind of hope she'll keep it on. It's almost like my coat is hugging her constantly, the very thing I want to be doing.

I never got that jacket back, but I don't mind.

The next day at school, the first person I see is Dona. She is standing at my locker with a white gauze scarf wrapped around her neck, and the memory of my fingers wrapped around her neck visits me again. I still can't find it in my heart to feel guilt or remorse.

"Get the hell out of my way," I snarl, appearing behind her. She jumps and whirls around, her hand flying protectively to her throat. Then she regains her composure and takes a deep breath.

"Drop the badass façade for one second, would you?" she says airily, proving that she really is the slowest learner in the world. I could crush her easily, and she knows this. Yet she insists on not caring, or at least pretends not to. "We need to talk."

"No, actually we don't. Go away."

"Tidus, if you would just listen to me-"

"Listen to you? _Listen_ to you? What on Spira do you have to say that can make up for what you did yesterday?" I demand, leaning in close and keeping my voice to a low hiss. Passing students eye us warily, sensing tension between the former power couple.

Dona glares at me, but holds her ground. "I'm not apologizing for pounding that little bitch into the ground," she begins. Seeing my expression, which could undoubtedly wither a rock, she quickly adds, "but I _am_ sorry that I hurt you. You know I never stopped loving you, baby, don't you?"

"Dona, we dated for less than a month," I deadpan. "I used you, you used me. We left it at that, remember?"

"Well, we had fun, didn't we?"

"The operative word here being 'had'. Are you planning to make a point any time soon?"

She pouts at me in a manner I know she means to be attractive. "Oh come on, Tidus, are you really gonna look me in the eye and say you haven't thought of me since?"

Okay, so she got me there. She may be a manipulative bitch, but she's undeniably hot in a generic slutty way. Of course, I only thought about her briefly, and that was before I met Yuna, my wakeup call.

I roll my eyes and push her out of my way to get to my locker. Rather than leave, which would be great, she leans against the one next to mine and watches me gather my books.

"I did what I did because she doesn't deserve a man like you, baby," she says finally. "She needs a man who can wait on her and come to her every beck and call, just like she was raised. But you, Tidus . . . you're a rebel, you know? It isn't her right to try and change you and make you into a wimpy sap."

I turn and glare at her sharply and she just raises an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. You _have_ changed a little since taking her under your wing. What happened to the bad boy I used to know? Since when do you let some prissy little princess lead you around by the nose? _I _would never do that. I would do _anything_ for you."

She moves forward and runs her manicured nail down from my jaw to my chest, her husky voice tickling my senses. I shake myself and shove her away. "Don't touch me," I snap. "I don't give a shit what you think about me, but there is no way in hell you're ever going to get with me again. We've had our moment. Whatever chance you may have had, you blew when you chose to fuck with Yuna yesterday."

Dona scoffs at me. "You aren't fooling anyone, Tidus. I know you. I know you much better than you think. I know that the longer you have to wait for the summoner's precious daughter to put out, the more impatient you'll get. The weaker you'll become."

I must be making some kind of facial response, because now she is smirking at me.

"Did you really think it would be so easy to get into her pants? She's the ultimate virgin, you realize. There's no way your getting past first base with her."

I look away sharply. "It's not like that. There's . . . there's stuff you don't understand."

"Love? You think I don't know love?"

Her voice is so soft all of a sudden that I can't help but look at her again. She is staring back levelly. Is she being serious? I blink and try to scan for any sign of deceit, but before I can conclude anything she drops her gaze almost bashfully. "You may not believe me, but what I said is true. I really do love you, Tidus. Nobody ever understood me the way you did. I . . . I've never had somebody like you before."

She pauses and I swear I just saw her blink back a tear. Weird.

"Look, what you're feeling for Yuna is understandable. She's pretty, rich, smart, probably a lot more interesting than she seems to me . . ." she waves her hand dismissively. "Anyway, the point is, I do get what love is. But we both know that you like to get whatever you want, and we both know that she is not the kind of girl who gives it up easily. She can't handle your fire, Tidus. Not like I can."

"I wouldn't- I'm not-"

"Oh, you'd try to be a gentleman at first, moving at her pace, holding her hand, taking her to the beach and doing all the romantic shit I know you hate. But eventually you'll start being a bit more forward, a bit more aggressive." Dona's voice has become much more sinister. "You'll start reaching farther up her shirt to try and unhook her bra. You might even try to sneak your hand down her pants, past those virginal white cotton panties. You'll even tell her you love her just to make her feel like everything is okay."

"Shut up," I whisper. She ignores me.

"She'll ask you to stop, she'll say you're moving too fast. You'll push her towards the bed and let her fall down on the mattress, not caring that she's starting to get that scared look in her eye. In fact, it might even turn you on more."

"You shut up, Dona." She just smiles deviously at me and continues.

"She'll beg and plead, saying she's not ready for this, but you'll just pin her down and kiss her to shut her up. Soon she'll start kicking and writhing underneath you, desperate to get away, but by then you'll have ripped off her shirt and-"

"I SAID SHUT THE _FUCK_ UP!" I roar, slamming her against the locker. I can barely see straight; my head is clouded with visions of Yuna's terrified face, struggling under me and crying out for me to get off her.

Other students in the hall stop and stare at me in shock, and Dona's face as gone white with fear. But her eyes hold a spark of triumph, a glimmer of malicious satisfaction as my worst fear is exposed at the tip of her tongue.

Before I can make this scene any worse, I release her and storm away, too shaken to notice the frightened and confused looks everyone is giving me.

I can feel Dona's eyes burn holes in my back as I walk away.

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The rest of the week moves by at an agonizingly slow pace after my little encounter with Dona. Ever since then, I've been unable to get the idea out of my head that one day I might actually hurt the girl who means more to me than anything. I've never forced a girl into sex. All the girls' I've been with have been willing, if not slightly drunk in some cases. It just never seemed right to me that some guys feel it's okay to force their women into doing things they aren't willing to do. Maybe it's a leftover sentiment from my mother's rape murder. Maybe it's just me being a decent guy on the inside. Maybe it's because of the sick twisted feeling I get in my stomach whenever I think of Yuna in pain, or Yuna being afraid.

Yuna, having decided not to press charges against Dona and her little friends for reasons beyond my understanding, seems to be returning to her normal self with each passing day. She's a bit jumpier than she used to be, but that's only understandable. Soon she'll start looking her shoulder all the time, just like I do whenever I'm walking home by myself or if I know there's another gang out in the streets nearby. It becomes second nature. After being attacked, you're never quite at ease anymore. A part of you will always be on alert, always suspicious.

By the time Friday rolls around, I am nearly dancing with impatience. Ever since I was a kid, it's been my dream to one day see Lotus Venom live in concert, and now that it's actually about to happen, I can hardly even believe it.

The girls tell me and the guys to go ahead and meet them at the show, since they have to take their time to get all dressed up. As for me, I just decide to stick with jeans and a denim vest with no shirt on underneath. Concert moshpits are usually too hot for much clothing anyway. Gippal, like me, has no shirt beneath his brown corduroy jacket and is wearing ragged cargo pants. Wakka is decked out in his finest leather coat with spikes on the shoulders and chains dangling everywhere.

The amphitheatre, the place where all of Bevelle's concerts take place, is massive. It is easily twice the size of a blitz stadium, and is situated right in the heart of the city so that its location is available to people from all parts of town. It is the one building in all of Bevelle that feels as if it belongs to everyone from all social classes.

It's nine o'clock. There are countless cars and people flooding by us, ranging from rich socialites to street punks. There are security guards everywhere, eyeing us suspiciously. Inside the amphitheatre we can hear the screams of countless adoring fans calling for Lotus Venom to start performing, and I long to raise my voice with theirs.

The three of us wait by the gate to the parking lot to meet up with the girls, each hardly able to contain our excitement. Gippal has gone through five cigarettes in the last ten minutes.

"Where the hell are they?" he groans, lighting up his sixth. "How long does it take to get dressed?"

"They'll be here. You think they'd miss this?" Wakka replies confidently.

"Gentleman," a familiar voice says. We turn around and see Lulu, Paine, and Rikku all standing in a line, equally gorgeous in their concert attire. Rikku is wearing a short green skirt that could dually function as a napkin and a yellow bathing suit top. Her hair is little more than a mass of braids and beads.

Lulu is wearing an old Victorian dress complete with black lace and crushed velvet, and a slit up the side of the skirt shows a flash of white thigh.

Paine, to our surprise, is actually wearing tight pants and a form-fitting muscle-shirt without the company of her black hoodie.

"May I present, for your viewing pleasure," Lulu continues, her eyes flashing with anticipation as she and the other two girls step aside, "the new and improved Yuna Ressan."

Wakka's eyes widen.

Gippal chokes on a puff of nicotine.

And my jaw hits the ground.


	24. Lotus Venom

Sorry for the long delay, I've been coping with obscene amounts of stress lately, mostly school related. I had no mental energy to write anything, but now that summer holidays have begun, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things. This chapter is based loosely off an actual experience my friends and I had at a local concert once, so it's rather personal to me.

Thanks for the reviews and for being so patient. Enjoy!

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YUNA

Walking down the sidewalk with the girls, I cannot help but feel like I truly belong for the first time. I look like them now, with my short black skirt, high boots and revealing scarlet halter-top, when before I had simply looked like a lost pony among fine stallions. And unlike I thought I would feel, I am strangely at ease. Odd, the impact clothing can have on one's perception of self. I feel . . . nice. Strong. Beautiful, even?

Yet in spite of this newly emerging confidence, the closer we get to the amphitheatre's parking lot, I revert to my old nervous habit of fidgeting. I am rather mortified by the fact that I am so concerned about what a certain gang leader will think of my dramatic change in style, even a temporary one.

"Yunie, relax, would you? You look hot," Rikku assures me, giving me a one-armed hug around the waist. I amazed at her ability to wear only bathing suit top so comfortably. I fear that any sudden movement on her part will result in 'a free show', so to speak.

"Tidus will love it," Lulu adds, smiling slightly at my blush. I know now that it is completely useless to hide my feelings for Tidus from these girls. They are much more observant than they would lead you to believe.

"Thank you," I reply politely. "I suppose it just takes some getting used to."

"You need to sway your hips more," Rikku informs me, halting our procession down the street. "When you're wearing killer boots and a nice skirt like that, you need to _own_ it, girl!"

I am not totally certain what that last sentence means, but nevertheless I try to follow her instructions and rock my hips a bit more than I normally do. After a few attempts (trying not to roll my eyes at how ridiculous I must look, being taught how to _walk_ provocatively), Rikku seems satisfied and an annoyed grunt from Paine urges us onward. Several cars passing by slow down and honk at us, which causes me to blush with embarrassment and slight pleasure. Rikku winks and waves flirtatiously at the men in each vehicle and even blows little kisses. Lulu ignores them and Paine responds by casually making a very rude gesture.

Up ahead I catch sight of familiar blond hair and feel my pulse quicken. Wiping my palms on the fabric of my skirt, I straighten my posture and remember to move the way Rikku showed me. By conscious decision or not, the other girls move simultaneously to walk in front of me, as if wanting to conceal me from the boys until the very last minute.

Lulu is the first of us to speak, before the male counterparts of the gang can say a word. "Gentleman, may I present, for your viewing pleasure, the new and improved Yuna Ressan."

Then, like the folds of a curtain, the girls step aside and reveal me to the others in all my uncertain glory.

Their reactions, I must admit, only made me smile and blush harder.

"_Damn_, girl," Gippal hoots, still choking on a drag of nicotine that seemed to have gone wrong. "Where has this little minx been hiding?"

Wakka throws his head back and laughs, "Now _that_ is what I call style!"

I thank them politely, but my eyes are fixed anxiously on Tidus' face. He is staring at me with what looks like complete amazement. He blinks slowly, appraising me up and down as if in disbelief, and then a gradual half smile appears.

"Wow," he says softly. "You look . . . wow."

I release an unbidden giggle and then quickly try to compose myself. I refuse to become a tittering mass of female hormones clamouring over a compliment from an attractive young man. No matter how god-like he looks with that open vest showing off those rippling abdominal muscles and that firm chest, I will not be undone. I will not. I _refuse_.

"If you're all done drooling over Yuna," Paine interrupts dryly. "May we proceed?"

Slightly grateful for her impatience (although a bit embarrassed by her words), I smile at her. "Yes, I would like that. But I'm a little nervous . . ."

"Don't be," Wakka assures me, draping a big arm around my shoulders. "Concerts are totally cool, ya? Besides, they got the fuzz there to keep things in control."

"The fuzz?" I blink.

Rikku pulls me away from Wakka and rolls her eyes. "It's an incredibly out of date and uncool term for 'the police'. But he's right, Yunie, I wouldn't worry if I were you. Just have fun, you hear?"

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The front entrance is like a giant floodgate, and the mass of bodies flowing through it is the unstoppable current. Everywhere there is noise and body heat and voices and colour. People are laughing, shouting, and even screaming with excitement. In the confusion, I feel Tidus surge forward behind me and grab my hand as we pass through the threshold. The darkness of the amphitheatre is a welcome change from the visual chaos, and I squeeze Tidus' hand tightly in my own. Ahead of me, through the silhouettes milling to and fro, I see stage lights flicker on and the crowd fans out among the rows of chairs. The air is charged with energy.

"Word of advice," Tidus shouts, turning around to grin at me. His eyes are fierce with anticipation and my throat tightens at the sight of him. His naked torso is very close to me and I can see his chest heaving with eager breath. "If you go into the moshpit, stay close. Don't get caught alone. Metal concerts can be pretty brutal, but if you stick with me, you'll be fine."

"Will do," I reply, trying to keep my eyes from roving his muscles. _Why_ did he have to wear only an open vest?

"Let's go claim our seats," Lulu calls, pushing through a group of young men who are eyeing her appreciatively. "I don't plan on dancing the whole night."

"There's room to dance here?" I ask, knowing instinctively that this is a stupid question.

"Plenty," Tidus replies with a chuckle. "If you don't mind rubbing up against dozens of strangers at a time, that is."

"What's to mind? Dancing with strangers is fun, not to mention kinky a lot of the time," Rikku cuts in, winking roguishly at me. Gippal, too overwhelmed with awe at the sight of the crowded theatre, is busy gaping at all the sights around him. Rikku has to lead him by the hand to keep him from spinning around in circles.

Paine and Wakka are already heading to the centre of the arena, where there are no chairs. I am assuming that is where all the moshpit action takes place. I feel a strangely primeval desire to go with them. My fingers twitch, and I am amazed to find myself imagining what it would be like to ball them into a fist and smash them into someone else's jaw. The thought shocks and excites me. Perhaps I should take Tidus' advice and stay close to him.

When the stage lights suddenly dim, a breathless hush falls over the masses, waiting for the first sign that the show is about to begin. I am biting my lip so hard I nearly draw blood, my eyes fixed firmly on the performing stage.

Out of nowhere, a deafening guitar chord is strummed and it reverberates around the amphitheatre. Collective screams explode from the audience and my heart skips a beat. The stage is still dark, but I can now see the band member's shapes emerge.

Tidus lets out a hoarse yell and I maniacally join him, losing my senses, losing my control. I can already feel myself throbbing with the urge to dance and throw myself around. I want to flip my hair and leap in the air like the rockstars do on television. I want to scream and act like an animal.

If this is what mob mentality feels like, then I have been missing out on something great my entire life.

The music starts, and gradually, the lights brighten at a dramatically slow pace. One by one the members of Lotus Venom become visible, instruments in hand, microphones positioned at the ready. I am about to burst with exhilaration. We are standing so close to the stage that I can see the sweat gleaming on the lead singer's chest and stomach and the glint of his teeth as he flashes his fans a wicked smile.

The first song escalates and the lead singer works the music like a puppeteer works his marionettes. Tidus turns to me and I turn to him. We are both overwhelmed, and we both share the same disbelieving grin. This is really happening.

I have seen a few concerts on TV before, and for a long time I felt a sort of detached scorn for the wildly hysteric fans shrieking in the crowd. To me, it was a sign of weakness to be so overcome by one artist performing on stage. I could not see what was so impressive about live music. What was it about music that drove people so insane?

Now I can identify with them. Witnessing Lotus Venom live, my first live concert, will always be treasured as a quasi-religious experience. I know without a shred of doubt that nothing will compare to the sensations clamouring inside of me.

I start dancing without noticing it. It is not until I see Tidus staring at me with a dazed expression that I realize what I am doing. My arms are over my head and my hips have been moving in a manner I never imagined they could. I slow down and start lowering my hands, mortification creeping up on me, but Tidus moves forward and grabs me around the waist.

"Keep going," he says, softly so that only I can hear above the pounding music and raucous cheers. "You can be whatever you want tonight, Yuna. Keep dancing. Nobody's going to stop you now."

I find myself embracing him for no reason other than that he is beautiful and precious to me, and because the music pulsating in my veins demands that I share myself with someone else. I throw my arms around his neck and press my face into his flesh, thrilled by the feeling of his touch. The smell of his masculinity is intoxicating, and I can feel him become warm with sweat yet to fall. My own body is becoming heated with contained perspiration, smoldering from the close proximity of other people and the boy holding me. I am burning with fire inside as well.

Moving instinctively, my hips position themselves against Tidus' and his bare torso warms mine. His lips move against my neck, but I cannot for the life of me hear what he is saying above the shrieking crowd and the pounding of my own heart.

We move like grass in the wind, like sea foam sighing against sand. He pulls back long enough to gaze down at me for the briefest of moments before gathering me closer once again. One second of separation is more than I can bear.

Rikku and Gippal are dancing in the most indecent manner, but the looks of unadulterated bliss on their faces seem to make up for the impure moves they are making on each other. Lulu is spinning and swaying fluidly, her eyes closed in reverence. She moves like water, never still but never erratic or uncoordinated. There are many eyes on her, entranced and intrigued. Wakka and Paine are hurling themselves through the moshpit nearby, hollering and screaming like barbarians.

Tidus sighs against me, tightening his arms around my body, and the intimacy of our contact comes back to me full force. Suddenly I feel awkward and uncertain, terrified of stepping on his feet or banging my forehead against his nose. I have never been this close to him for so long, never so unabashed in my embrace.

Sensing my fumbling thoughts, Tidus pulls back slightly and stares down at me. "Don't hold back," he commands, a smile tugging at his lips. "Don't you dare ruin this for yourself."

I smile back helplessly. "You don't mind?"

He surprises me by leaning his forehead against mine. "Not in the least. Now shut up and dance."

"But you're the one who started-"

He silences me by lifting me up and settling me on his shoulder, his arm wrapped firmly around my thighs. The sudden shift in gravity stuns me, and for a moment I am blinded by lights as they turn to focus on me. I am only dimly aware of a TV camera hovering nearby. The lead singer of Lotus Venom stops singing and beams at me through his tinted sunglasses.

"What an honour!" he shouts into the microphone. "Looks like we got another celebrity with us tonight!"

My eyes widen and I hear Tidus laugh beneath me.

"Whaddya say, Lady Yuna? Care to join us on stage?" the singer asks, lowering his shades to regard me with dark enigmatic eyes. If I remember correctly, Lulu told me his name is Drekken Sohl.

Before I can respond, Tidus pushes forward through the crowd until we reach the stage, and I feel myself being hauled up into the air by security guards and Drekken himself. I blink owlishly as his warm hand nestles in the small of my back.

"Know the words to this song?" he asks me, his lips just beyond the shell of my ear. I nod slowly, remembering the hours it took for Rikku and Gippal to teach my all the lyrics to each song. Luckily I am a fast learner and have an ear for music, though I am no real singer like Lulu.

"Can my friend Lulu join us?" I request, secretly thankful that I am not camera shy after being exposed to them so many times. "She has an excellent voice and knows all your lyrics by heart."

"Sure," Drekken agrees, his smile broadening. "Anyone else you'd like to call up? Here, take the mike."

He shoves the device in my hand, and I stare at it for a moment in shock before finding my voice. "Uh," I stammer, turning to the crowds, "Lulu, Tidus, Rikku, Paine, Wakka, and Gippal . . . you are invited up here as well."

There is some confusion and a burst of activity as the audience surges forward. I run to the front of the stage and pick out my friends for the security guards to call up. The band keeps playing behind me, and Drekken watches me with a lazy grin.

Tidus gapes at me with disbelieving eyes as I help pull him up from the writhing crowd. My breath catches in my throat, and I can only smile shakily at him before moving to assist the others.

I hand Lulu the microphone and she stares down at it as though she has never seen it before. Then, slowly, she raises it to her lips, and after a universally hushed moment her voice fills the stadium in chorus with Drekken's soulful cries as she enters her element. She has never looked more beautiful than she does now. The lights are hitting her perfectly, drowning all else in darkness but the flash of metal instruments. With her eyes closed as if in prayer, Lulu looks more at home on stage than any other performer I've ever seen.

For a while I am dumbstruck by the sheer impact of what is happening to me. The roar of the audience is deafening and I am blinded by thousands of digital camera flashes. I feel Tidus' arm slip around my waist and I turn to stare at him with the same bewildered expression on my face. He laughs, breaking my spell, and I sag against him as my own laughter escapes and weakens my knees. Lulu beckons Paine forward, and very hesitantly her friend moves to stand next to her at the mike and lends her voice in harmony. The effect is haunting, and I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Rikku throws herself at Drekken and clings to him, weeping openly, and he tries to hug her with one arm while singing into the microphone with the other. Gippal and Wakka come to stand next to Tidus and me, each too overwhelmed to do much other than stare in awe at Lulu and Paine.

"Get your asses over here, will you?" Paine shouts at us, trying not to smile as she gestures to the microphone. "We'd like some more backup."

The rest of us gather around them as if in a daze, and I am only vaguely conscious of my voice accompanying the twins and Drekken. I hear Tidus' energy gather momentum next to me, and Wakka and Gippal roar into the microphone as if their lives depend on it. Rikku, tears still framing her cheeks, sings high in the background, pausing now and then to giggle and smile with embarrassment. I am amazed at how calm I am. The crowd screams back at us, and the world is full of our joined music. I have never experienced the emotion wrought from hearing my voice rise with thousands of others chorusing the same words.

The song ends with a flourish and the audience cheers wildly at us. Drekken puts his hand over the mike as gives Lulu an appraising look and says, "Wait for me after the show. I want to talk business with you, and possibly your sister. You sound incredible, I'd love to have your voice on our next album."

Lulu can only nod speechlessly, and Paine's eyebrows lift with surprise. Wakka, Gippal, and Rikku are dancing around in a three-way hug, stopping occasionally to blow dramatic kisses to the mob.

I turn to look at Tidus, who is already watching me with an expression of the utmost gratitude and . . . and something I cannot name. Something that fills him from the inside and spills over on the outside to light up his face and smile. He is standing so close that I can see myself reflected in his eyes, and I am staring face to face at my own desires.

And quite suddenly, he reaches for me and pulls me towards him. He kisses me. He is kissing me still. My vision is fading, my blood is racing, my knees are shaking, and he is kissing me like there is no other purpose in life. I stand in his embrace, frozen with astonishment and unresponsive, but he is not stopping or showing any sign of releasing me. His arms tighten around my waist and he deepens the kiss, sending shockwaves through my body.

A collective gasp rises up from the crowd and the gang and band stare at us in stupefaction. A ripple of excitement passes through the amphitheatre and abruptly everybody begins to applaud, screaming just as loudly as when we sang with Lotus Venom. The band's percussionist slams on the drums a few times in appreciation and Drekken laughs into the microphone, shaking the gang out of its trance. They cheer for us, just as the audience does, swept up in the heat of the moment.

Tidus pauses for a breath, his lips and eyes hot against mine, but in an instant my arms snake around his neck and pull him back down. I will not let him go, not that the moment I have been longing for has finally arrived.

I have never kissed anyone, as he must clearly realize by now, but that does not mean I will not show him my feelings. I feel him smile against me, and he calms down my urgent advances by gently coaxing my tongue with his, teasing it into a slow steady rhythm. He ignites fires in me all over again and I melt against him. I am euphoric. I am alive. I am his.

We pull away by a mutual need for oxygen, and he leans his forehead against mine. His cheeks are flushed, as mine doubtlessly are as well, and he closes his eyes. The two of us stand there, ignoring the countless eyes staring at us, ignoring the screams and cheers and the stage lights illuminating us. We ignore the camera moving in closer to capture our moment for the world to see.

Slowly he opens his eyes to bore into mine, and as he speaks, his lips brush tantalizingly against mine.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that."

I smile and kiss him slowly. Pulling back, I whisper into his ear, "Well, it's a good thing you did when you had the chance, because now my father _is_ going to kill me."


	25. Where Loyalties Lie

Thank you all so much for reviewing! I'm sorry that I'm being such a bad updater; I really thought that all this holiday time would give me incentive to write more, but it turns out to be just the opposite. I find myself to be much lazier than normal, so once more I apologize for taking forever to get these chapters rolling.

And I'm SORRY that this chapter is so lamentably short. It's another one of those 'transitional chapters', in which there is no a whole lot of action until the next main event in the story. Don't kill me! I promise the next one will be longer, even if it kills me.

**NOTE:** Although there is no sex or anything in this chapter, I feel I should warn you that it is _descriptive_ and some of you might be uncomfortable reading all the details. I like to keep my stuff at least PG-13 (or T, with that new rating system) and you are unlikely to find any R/NC-17 material, but I still feel the need to give you a heads up for this one anyway. Unless I'm just overreacting or taking it too seriously. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!

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TIDUS

I don't know what possessed me to grab her and kiss her in front of thousands of people _and_ a live camera. It was sudden, foolish, unplanned, and totally inappropriate.

I guess that is why was so perfect.

The rest of the concert passes by like a blur and I can only dimly recall returning to our seats after the big escapade on stage. I vaguely remember dancing to the songs and singing along with Drekken, pausing frequently to capture Yuna's mouth again (_because she's like oxygen and I can't breathe when I'm not with her_) with my own. I barely remember congratulating Lulu and Paine as they set off to find the band and talk business. I am hardly aware of the fact that the rest of the gang is teasing Yuna and me shamelessly.

"You guys go ahead," I tell them later, after Rikku suggests partying at 8-Ball's. My fingers are itching to run themselves through Yuna's hair. At my side, she fidgets a little. We are standing outside of the arena, ignoring the mass of people flowing by. It is nearly one in the morning but, like any big city, Bevelle is still pulsing with life.

"Yes, we'll catch up with you," Yuna adds, glancing quickly in my direction. The others smile all-too knowingly and head off down the sidewalk, snickering amongst each other.

The minute they turn the corner I grab Yuna's hand and drag her towards an alley close to the parking lot. She follows me wordlessly, and I can feel moisture on both our palms.

We disappear in the darkness, but I can faintly see her eyes and hair glint from a nearby streetlight. I push her up against the brick wall (none too gently, I might add) and immediately crushing my lips against hers, needing her, wanting her, hungering for her. Compliantly she opens her mouth and grabs onto me, pulling me closer to her. I am holding her up so forcefully that I have to wedge myself between her legs so that she has some support. The feeling of her position kills me with need and I do not know how long I can stand to go at this pace. Her perfectly shaped thigh is unbearably smooth as I run my hand along it possessively. I feel her fingernails digging into my shoulder, and her other hand is moving up and down my chest.

_Go easy on her_, I keep telling myself. _Slow down, she's new at this_. But the message is coming from a part of my brain that can easily be smothered and pushed aside. The last thing I want to do is frighten or hurt her, but _Yevon help me_ I need this. It's been two months since I've gotten any and the situation is driving me insane.

She tries to say my name when our lips part a fraction of an inch but I barely hear it. She is shaking so hard that I cannot tell if it is from desire or nervousness. I fiercely hope it is the former one, but I know intuitively that it is from a combination of both.

"Yuna," I whisper, moving down to kiss her neck, wanting to soothe her and help her relax. "Yuna . . . it's okay. Don't be afraid."

She is silent for so long that I begin to wonder if she even heard me above her own ragged breath, but when I lift my eyes to stare at her questioningly, I see she is smiling tremblingly at me.

"I know. I-I trust you," she murmurs, her voice hitching a little. I smile back, but something inside turns sour at her words, some kind of anxiety that has sprung up out of no where. Wanting to stifle it and keep it from ruining this glorious moment, I continue my path down her neck to her shoulder. I tighten one arm around her waist to lift her higher against the wall. My free hand slowly but intensely travels up under the hem of her teasing halter-top, and I feel her body contract against me, subliminally urging me on. Nipping at her shoulder, I let my hand glide up to cup the side of one small, firm breast. Her responding moan is almost more than I can take.

"So sorry to interrupt."

Yuna and I spring apart so quickly that I nearly stumble backwards over my own feet. She presses herself against the wall, breathing heavily. Her hair and clothes are dishevelled, and her skin is flushed for obvious reasons. Searching the darkness, my eyes adjust and I dimly make out a group of shadows approaching us. I know that voice. And I don't like it.

"Nooj," I snarl, my hand involuntarily reaching to my back pocket as if to grab a weapon. A second later I realize I'm not carrying one and give an inward curse.

Nooj steps into the light and regards me with the utmost smugness. His cronies are still standing in the back, and I am almost certain I see Baralai's silver hair.

"Hello, Tidus. I saw your antics with Lady Yuna on stage," he says in a mockingly interested tone, shifting his look to Yuna, who is watching him warily. "I must say, very ballsy of you. Stupid, but ballsy."

"Is there something you wanted?" Yuna asks him, doing her best to sound polite in spite of the slight tremor in her voice.

Nooj smiles at her, and I can feel my nonexistent hackles rise indignantly. I've seen him use that same smile on LeBlanc many times. "Why, my Lady, we are simply hoping for the pleasure of your company. I can only assume that if you are willing to let the likes of _him_ paw you in an alley, you won't mind offering the same services to me and my boys," he sneers, gesturing haughtily behind him. LeBlanc's smile freezes mechanically on her face.

One minute I am standing five feet away from him with my hands at my sides. The next, I am on top of him and pounding his face into a bloody pulp. The seconds in between are completely blank.

By the time he manages to bring his fist up to my jaw, I have already hit him at least eight times with enough force send him toppling to the ground. I hear Yuna scream my name, but it sounds very far away, and at the moment I am deeply immersed in making sure Nooj never stands up again.

The rest of his gang charges forward to pull me off, but at that moment a pale gold light appears out of no where and forms a shell around me and Nooj.

Nooj and I pause to stare at the light in amazement, wondering where the hell it came from, but when I glance over my shoulder, the answer becomes obvious.

Yuna has not moved from her location against the brick wall, but both her hands are raised and shrouded in the same gold light. Her eyes are closed and she is clenching her teeth firmly. I smirk slightly. _Good girl._ And then I commence with the ass kicking.

The gang stops, gaping at us in shock, and Ormi tentatively touches the orb. His meaty hand bounces off as if it had been slapped away.

"It's a force field, you idiot," LeBlanc snaps, her eyes wide and panicked. Turning to Nooj, she cries, "Don't worry, love, we'll get you out of there!"

"How?" Logos asks frantically, but she does not reply. She is already marching towards Yuna, a dark spell gathering at her fingertips.

"Yuna, get out of here!" I shout, knowing instinctively that she cannot move and maintain the protection shell around me at the same time. She has to defend herself, not me! What the _hell_ is LeBlanc thinking, attacking the High fucking Summoner's daughter like this?

A flash of silver crosses the corner of my eye and, ignoring the danger, I whip my head around to see Baralai cut LeBlanc off and come to stand protectively in front of Yuna, who still has not moved.

"No, LeBlanc," Baralai says in a maddeningly calm voice. "Don't be foolish. This is between Tidus and Nooj. Harming Lady Yuna will not change anything between them."

"Traitor!" the black mage shrieks, pointing an accusing finger at him. "How dare you stand in our way? Our boss needs us!"

I struggle to hear Baralai's reply, as their words are muffled behind the force of the protection spell, but at that point Nooj's knee rams up into my stomach and knocks the wind out of me. I roll to the side and hesitate long enough to hear the rest of the argument.

"What are you _talking about_?" LeBlanc seethes, the spell crackling dangerously at her hands. "Of _course_ Nooj is our boss, what the hell is the matter with you?"

"Then let me rephrase that," Baralai shoots back in an awesomely cold voice, "he's not _my_ boss. Not anymore."

And with that, he reaches out drives his fist into her gut, stunning her instantly. Her body collapses without a sound, her blonde hair falling into a mud puddle. Nooj roars with rage and tries to abandon me for Baralai and Yuna, but I grab him around the ankle and drag him back down. I have to keep him inside the shell, or there's no telling what he'll do to her.

Logos, Ormi, and Clasko gape at Baralai in complete and utter shock. He stares back at them coolly, ready for their next move. There's something terribly noble about him standing there, the only force between Yuna and certain physical harm. There's no way he can take on three formidable opponents alone, but he doesn't look like he is prepared to move. Is this his redemption, his way of making up for the hurt he caused Paine? Is this him finally making a stand for himself, against Nooj and his imprisonment? Or is this just his way of trying to do the right thing, for whatever reason?

Either way he never really had a chance to prove himself, because at that moment Rikku, Gippal and Wakka materialize from the darkness behind Yuna and come to stand on either side of him. They have warrior expressions, suitably pissed and ready for action. Even so, I am glad to see that Gippal does not have a gun on him.

Relief clearly sapping her energy, Yuna drops her hands and sags against the wall, sweat forming a pale sheen on her forehead. The golden sphere disappears and Nooj violently wrenches himself away from me, staggering backwards behind the remnants of his gang. Panting doggedly, he scoops LeBlanc's limp body up in his arms and glares murderously at me, his spectacles broken and perched crookedly on his nose.

"Y-you think this is over?" he hisses, backing away. "You think you've won for good, Lorac?"

"Go home, Nooj," I reply, wiping a trickle of blood away from the corner of my lip. "Put your whore to bed."

"And you," Nooj adds, turning his maniacal attention on Baralai. "You . . . you won't get away from me so easily, Baralai. I'll be seeing you real soon."

Then he's gone, loping out of sight with the unconscious mage in his arms. Slowly, still eyeing Baralai with repulsed dismay, the rest of his group turns to follow him.

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Not wanting Yuna to waste any magic to heal my injuries, which really aren't that bad compared to what I've had before, I decide to use a good old-fashioned ice pack to numb the ache. A black eye may look cool, but Nooj packs one hell of a punch, and it hurts like a bitch even a day later.

Rin doesn't exactly have a medical emergency kit handy, even in a dangerous pit like 8-Ball's, so instead I use a block of ice wrapped in a dishtowel. Business is slow today, with the Throwbacks being the only people in the bar, so Yuna seems much more at ease in this place than she was before. She is sitting in my lap with a mug of cider in hand, still refusing to let one drop of alcohol touch her tongue. One of my arms is busy wrapping itself around her middle, pulling her close against my chest, and the other is busy holding the makeshift ice pack against my bruised eye.

"Does it still hurt?" she asks me over her shoulder. I shrug casually, replying as any self-respecting man would.

"Not really. I can handle it."

She frowns and pouts at me a little, teasing me with her doll-like lips. "I wish you would let me heal you. It's really nothing."

"Oh, let him handle it," Rikku snorts, stealing a drag from Gippal's cigarette. "He's like your regular guy, Yunie. Never wants to take help from anyone, least of all a girl." Gippal lets his hand slide down her back and rest tantalizingly just above her rear. She gives him a discreet look out the corner of her eye and he smirks at her. Since the concert last night, the two of them have been oddly affectionate, more than usual in fact. Rikku hasn't put up half as much of a fuss as she used to whenever Gippal decided to put moves on her. I'm starting to wonder, with no amount of surprise whatsoever, if they finally hooked up some time last night. It's been building for ages between them.

"It's a battle wound, ya?" Wakka supplies supportively, punching me in the arm. "A badge of honour to commemorate the glorious downfall of the infamous Nooj."

"Hear, hear!" Rin cheers from behind the counter, smiling hugely at me. Rin has no love for Nooj, since his gang would frequently trash the bar or steal things.

"I wouldn't call it a downfall," Baralai says with a grim look in his eye. "Nooj would never admit defeat, especially not after the way I betrayed him."

"But for a good reason, and for a better group of people," Paine reminds him firmly, briefly clasping his knee. He smiles at her and reaches up to tuck a strand of silver hair out of her eyes.

"Tell me about it," he replies in a gentler tone.

"It's simple, really," Lulu pipes up, her attention still on the contract in her hand. The band wanted to sign her right away, but she requested a few days to think about it and discuss it with her mom. "All we have to do is stick together and not go anywhere alone."

Yuna sighs and glances back down at the newspaper lying open on the couch next to her. She's done this a lot since this morning when the paper came out. On the front page is a glorious photo of the two of us lip-locked on stage at the concert, beneath the glaring title

_LOTUS VENOM_ CONCERT ENJOYED BY ALL- ESPECIALLY LADY YUNA! 

"Would you relax?" I tease her, prying the paper out of her hands and tossing it behind us. "Nobody's gonna care about that. I still can't even believe it made the front page."

"Well, up until meeting _you,_ need I remind you that my reputation has been absolutely spotless?" she quips, trying not to smile through the fake prissy tone.

"I just can't wait to see Lord Braska's reaction to this," Wakka chuckles, proving once again to be the grand duke of tactlessness. Yuna slumps back against me and sighs yet again.

"To be honest, I doubt he'll care. At this point, there is very little I can do to displease him further," she admits with a light shrug. "This is probably just the cherry on top of the cake of my shenanigans."

Gippal laughs at her choice of words. "Nice analogy."

She sticks her tongue out at him in typical five-year-old fashion, and I am jealous of the air around her mouth. I reach up to turn her face towards me over her shoulder and kiss her slowly. Ignoring the mock gagging sounds erupting around us, she responds with equal diligence until she pulls back with a smile. Somehow, every time I kiss her, I feel like I should thank her for it. It's like she's giving me a wonderful gift over and over again.

Oh God, I'm doing it again. That whole romantic-thinking thing. At least I haven't started writing her love poems on sparkly red heart-shaped paper edged with pink lace. Yet.

"Hey, do you guys know anything about a part happening later?" Rikku asks suddenly, after she finishes blowing a sultry puff of smoke into Gippal's mouth. For the third time in the last five minutes, I might add.

We collectively shrug and shake our heads in response. "Where did you hear about it?" Baralai asks her. She smiles smugly.

"I heard about it at the concert, actually. Some people from school are putting together a huge shebang at some guy's beach house next weekend. Some kind of going-away party for a friend of theirs, or something. You guys interested?"

"Will there be booze?"

"Of course, Wakka. I did say it was a party, didn't I?"

"Then I'm in," he confirms, beaming at her. Lulu shrugs indifferently and Paine and Baralai concede with a nod. Gippal snakes an arm around her shoulders, a sure sign that he's game.

"Cool," I say, also agreeing. "You for it, Yuna?"

I can literally feel her hesitating. She is quiet for a moment, and then chooses her words carefully, if not unsuccessfully. "When you say party and booze . . . you mean, like a party that . . . has booze? As in, alcohol?"

Fighting back unanimous grins, the rest of us exchange looks. Rikku's mouth twitches a little as she replies, "Uh, yeah. That kind of party and booze."

"Is that not good?" Baralai asks, not used to Yuna's innocence like we are. Her back stiffens unnoticeably.

"No," she says in a fake casual voice. "Not at all. Let's do it."


	26. A Little Piece of Sincerity

Thanks for the reviews! Also, the same discretion in the previous chapter about descriptive writing applies to this one, for those of you who don't like sensuality. Just remember that nothing I write will go as far as sex, mmmkay? Again, sorry for the delay, but it seems like my computer has been having a lot of problems lately, especially with the Internet.

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YUNA

It is past noon of that morning, and Tidus has somehow convinced me to hang out at his apartment for the rest of the day. Of course, the way his arm had been hooked around my waist as we walked here leads me to suspect that he has a bit more in mind.

The rest of the gang has scattered to miscellaneous places for the day. Wakka is accompanying Lulu to her session with Lotus Venom. The band members are staying in the city for a while until the contract is figured out. Paine is at home, helping her mother clean the house. Baralai is going to join them later on, after his shift at work is over. Rikku and Gippal have gone to a popular Al Bhed video arcade, insisting that the place is too cool for 'other people'.

"Are you sure your father wouldn't mind me being here?" I ask, standing in the doorway of Tidus' apartment. He walks in and tosses his jacket off to the side, letting it land carelessly on the floor. Afternoon sunlight floods the room and somehow transforms the otherwise dingy place into a cigarette-scented sanctuary. Tidus turns around and gives me a lopsided grin.

"Why would he? We've been here alone together before, right?" he reminds me, pulling me in by the hands.

"That was different," I tell him, smiling as he leads me into the room. "We were just friends then."

"And what are we now?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Mr. Lorac," I say teasingly. In truth, I do not fully know what we are, but I am not worried about it. Whatever it is, it feels real enough not to need some kind of title. I go up on my toes to meet him as he leans forward. His mouth is slow and gentle on mine.

When the kiss breaks, we touch our foreheads together and he laces his fingers through mine. I stare at him, into his eyes, and realize that I have never seen him look more at peace than he does now.

"You know . . ." he begins quietly, his breath warming my lips again, "you make me happier than anyone else."

My heart quickens and I close my eyes. "You too. Don't ever underestimate how important you are to me, okay?"

"Deal," he promises, smiling.

And this time, when he kisses me, I feel the undertone of need that I sensed in him back in that alley after the concert. The power of it frightened me at first and made me feel awkward and small on the inside. The way he threw me against the wall and attacked my mouth with his had been a shock to my system. When his hand had gone up my shirt I nearly lost my head. It had been overwhelming, almost unbearable, but _so good_. I had no experience in anything sexual, and for a moment I had nearly been ready to push him away from me and run home to hide shaking under my bed. But now that I have tasted it myself and glimpsed secrets about the inner workings of my body, I am not so afraid. In fact, I do believe I'm beginning to crave it myself.

I allow him to guide me down the narrow hall towards his bedroom, our tongues and limbs still entwined. He kicks the door open behind him and we collapse onto his mattress across the room. Before I can pause for breath, he flips me onto my back and moves to straddle me, trapping me beneath him. I freeze for a second when he yanks off his shirt, caught speechless at the sight of his muscles. Sometimes I forget just how utterly exquisite he is, how efficiently he can scramble my nerves.

Tentatively, still slightly unsure of myself, I run my hands up his stomach and chest, hardly able to believe that such a specimen is with _me_ of all girls. His eyes blazing with desire and his body taut above me, he gives me a moment to admire what I see. I swallow and stare dumbly up at him. The light from outside his window lights him up so gloriously.

"You are unbelievable," I whisper, my fingers trembling on him.

"And I'm yours," he replies, his voice slightly breathy. Then he reaches down to trace the edge of my jaw with his thumb. "Your turn?"

Surely, above the silence of the apartment, he can hear my heart pounding. "R-really?"

"If you want to, I mean."

"I . . . I don't know, Tidus. I-I'm not-"

"You are _beautiful_, Yuna," he says firmly, allowing no room for argument. "I don't know what happened to you to make you so damn modest, but what you have, any girl would kill for. Don't be embarrassed, especially with me."

My throat tightens inexplicably. "Tidus, I just don't want to lead you to believe I'm ready for . . . for things that I'm not ready to do. I don't want to disappoint you."

Understanding dawns on him, and his eyes soften. "There is nothing you could do to disappoint me. If you tell me to stop, I will right away. Let me know what your boundaries are, okay?"

I nod mutely. He watches me closely for a second to confirm my readiness before letting his fingers trail down to the buttons of my shirt. Working slowly, almost torturously, he opens the blouse and pushes the material aside.

My bare stomach is tense with the breath I have been holding in. Not for the first time, I wish I had larger breasts. They seem so lamentably small, contained in a light pink bra. His warm hands run along my abdomen with reverence, his expression unguardedly amazed. He glances up at my face and seems to realize how nervous I still am. He smiles slightly and leans down to kiss me.

"Just relax, babe. You're calling the shots here," he assures me, still caressing my hips. "Say the word and we'll stop."

"Babe?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow. He makes a face at me.

"Well, it sounds better than 'pookie' or 'sweetums', doesn't it?"

He smothers my laugh with another kiss, not to be deterred from his exploration.

Not wanting to lie under him like a cold fish, I bring my arms up and let my nails drag down his back in a way that makes him moan in my mouth. I feel a flicker of satisfaction, knowing I can get that kind of reaction out of him.

This goes on for a long time, his slow investigation of my body and my growing unwillingness to stop him. How is it that he can awaken so many sensations in me without seemingly any effort? How is it that he can wear away my reserve so easily?

When his hands move up and around to the clasp of my bra, I instinctively go rigid. He stops immediately and peers cautiously down at me, waiting for any sign or indication on my part. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, willing myself to be calm. I trust him. I _love _him.

When I do not ask him to get off me, I feel his fingers working at the clasp. I gasp as he removes the garment and find myself completely topless beneath him. Before I can think of anything to do or say, he is back to kissing me while one hand lingers over my breast.

I seem to lose myself.

Arching my back so that I am pressed more wholly against him, I beg him silently to keep going. It feels so . . . so . . .

He feverishly whispers my name whenever our lips part for one heartbeat, and gradually his kisses move down my neck to my chest.

Eons seem to pass. I am helpless under him; blissfully helpless against the magic he is working upon me.

And then his fingers move down to the button of my jeans.

Purely out of reflex, I jerk away from him and my hands fly up to his shoulders.

"Tidus, wait."

He kisses me again, more forcefully than before as he unzips my pants. I turn my head from him and try to push him back.

"No," I whisper, attempting to wiggle out of his grasp. "Not that."

"I want you," he murmurs, still pinning me beneath him. I realize with a sickening lurch that I cannot move unless he gets off me himself, and by the look in his eye I am wondering how eager he is to do that. "Yuna, I need you. _Please_."

"I'm not ready, Tidus, I don't-"

"You are so beautiful." His lips grind against mine, rendering me silent. A wave of panic rises up in me as he begins pushing my jeans down.

"T-Tidus, please stop," I beg.

His lips crush mine forcefully, and I twist my neck until I can free my mouth. His fingers start clawing almost viciously at the hem of my underwear. White, cotton, virginal underwear.

_Make him stop. Yevon, make him stop this now, please . . . _

"So beautiful . . ." he is whispering, attempting to force my panties down as if oblivious to all my struggling. The smell of my own sex is nauseating to me. I try to clench my legs together, but his weight on my lower pelvis forbids me from doing so.

"I need you so badly-"

"Tidus, NO!" I cry out, tears gathering. I don't want this, I don't want this, I don't want this.

It is only the sharp desperation of my tone that halts him. He lifts his eyes up to meet mine, and I can see the fog of his mind clearing away. He blinks at me as if realizing for the first time what is going on, and an instant later he flings himself off me. He lands awkwardly on the floor.

I scuttle backwards until I am pressed against the corner of the wall, shaking and hugging myself. My face is buried in my arms, and the tears are now glistening on my cheeks.

The world is silent for so long that I can almost fool myself into believing that I am back home, alone and untouched. _Still pure, not yet tainted._ Where is the little girl in me now?

And then, softly, "Yuna?"

I shake my head, still keeping it hidden in the nest of my arms. Go away, go away, go away.

"Yuna . . . I didn't . . . are you . . . ?"

The bed shifts as he slowly climbs his way back onto the mattress, though he hovers only at the edge. "Please . . . please say something."

"I told you that I wasn't ready," I whisper, refusing to look up at him. "Why would you . . . Tidus, you _frightened _me."

I feel his hand touch my arm and I lift my head up. His expression is so full of pain that it breaks my own heart. He is ghastly pale, and looks close to being sick. The sight of my tears makes him wince.

"Oh God, Yuna," he tells me, his voice catching. "I'm a monster. I didn't mean to go that far. I thought . . . I thought I had it all under control. I won't do that again, I promise. I'm so sorry, please forgive me."

I stare at him and wonder where the boy I knew had disappeared off to. Instead, I had been faced with a wild animal. A beast.

"Tidus, I'm not ready for things that girls like Dona are ready for," I say solemnly, amazed at how firm my words are. The mention of her name makes him drop his gaze as if in deeper shame.

I hate the way my voice sounds to cold, even to my own ears. I wish I could embrace him and proclaim eternal forgiveness, but the memory of his uncompromising weight on me, trapping me, is too strong to ignore. I felt possessed, and his body had been so aggressive that I could not believe that such a tender person could become so . . . primeval. It had been unnerving, to say the least.

He squeezes my arm gently. "I will never take advantage of you, _ever_. You have to believe me, Yuna. I was just overwhelmed by you, caught up in the moment. I lost my head. It won't happen again, not ever."

We look at each other for a while; I watch for signs of weakness in his promise, and he watches for signs of acceptance. At last the ache in his eyes is too much for me to bear.

Opening my arms to him, bare chest and all, I find a way to smile.

"Come here."

Without hesitating, he crawls towards me and then pulls me facing him onto his lap. Wrapped in each other's arms, the world backs away from us until only the sound of our heartbeats and quiet breath remain. We sit that way for a long time, even when the sun begins to set.

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My eyes open slowly, only to stare into the darkness of Tidus' night shadowed room. I frown as I stretch, wondering when exactly I had fallen asleep in the first place. The steady warmth next to me reminds me of his presence, and I sit upright. He is sitting with his back against the wall, a small flashlight resting on his shoulder pointing at a sketchbook propped up against his knees. The pencil in his hand moves slowly and deliberately.

As I stir, his eyes shift toward me, and he smiles. "Hey."

"Hey back," I reply, stifling a yawn. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure, probably around seven. You were asleep for a long time."

I nod and let myself sag against him, craving his nearness again. I must have forgotten that I am still not wearing a shirt. Either that, or I simply don't care anymore. Not with him. I don't think I'll ever be shy around him ever again.

He seems to realize the same thing, and his smile softens on me. One strong, muscular arm slips around me and he leans down to kiss my forehead. My eyes are already scanning his sketchbook.

"I didn't know you were an artist," I comment, reaching out to touch the paper. I note with a small grin that he is drawing my sleeping portrait. The striking realism takes me by surprise, as does the impeccable likeness of me. "You're very good, Tidus."

He shrugs and begins erasing a few stray lines. "It's just something I've been doing for years. I have drawn, like, a million pictures of you."

I giggle and glance up at him. "May I see, master Da Vinci?"

"Yeah, sure," he says with a blink. "Da Vinci. I know that name."

"Well I should hope so," I laugh, taking the sketchbook in my hands. "He was only one of the greatest minds of all time."

He huffs at me as I begin flipping through the pages. Sure enough, nearly every page seems to be filled with little renderings of me, all stunningly realistic. No wonder he gets such good grades in Art class. I always knew the teacher put up with his nonsense for a reason.

"These are incredible," I say admiringly. "Have you considered going into Fine Arts after high school?"

He gapes at me for a second before bursting into fits of laughter. "Me? At _college_? You've got to be kidding me, Yuna."

I sit upright and stare pointedly at him. "Why is that so amusing? Tidus, your work is brilliant. Any art school would gladly accept you."

"Babe, sometimes you are too cute for words," he snickers, shaking his head. I raise a displeased eyebrow at the comment. _Cute?_ "Even if an art school would, by some miracle of Yevon, decide to take me in, what makes you think I could afford to go? And with my grades, it isn't likely a scholarship is going to come my way any time soon."

"That's not true," I counter. "You are doing very well in Art class. If you keep that grade up and show the board how talented you are, the art school across town will likely give you a scholarship. I mean it, Tidus, you really could do it if you tried."

He still looks sceptical. "I don't know, Yuna. It sounds too easy. The board would never consider letting some street hood into their 'fine establishment'. It's not just about money, in the end. It's about image and prestige. I've seen the kind of people who go to those places. They sit around in their fancy studios, sipping their triple mocha lattes and talking about how Kafka-esque something is. I don't even know what the hell Kafka-esque is, but I've heard that expression before."

"Stop making excuses," I order, poking him in the chest and trying not to smile at the mental depictions of the people he is describing. As much as I hate to admit it, I too have seen such characters at one time or another. "They're _artistes,_ for goodness' sake. You can't get much more open-minded than they are. Once they see what a great gift you have, they'll be begging to take you in."

"Can we just . . . not talk about it right now? Please?" he sighs, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes.

Deflating slightly, I nod and close my mouth. Why does he insist on belittling himself so much? For one so young, his drawings are astonishing, and with further training he could really be something spectacular.

Not that he isn't already.

"Is this your mother?" I ask suddenly, halting on one of the last pages. Suddenly it occurs to me that in the time I've known Tidus and the gang, nobody has mentioned this woman.

"Yeah," he confirms, smiling slightly. "That's her."

"She's beautiful," I tell him, marvelling at how alike the two of them look. "Where is she?"

"Dead."

My heart clenching for him, I wait for him to elaborate, but he does not say anything else. I tilt my head to the side questioningly.

"What happened?"

"Gang raped and beaten to death. I was nine." His voice is so neutral, so calm, that I for one tense moment I am unsure if he is making some kind of sick joke. But when he gazes back levelly, I know that he is serious, and I ache inside for him.

"Oh," I whisper, my fingers lightly tracing his jaw line. "Oh, Tidus, I'm so sorry. That must have been awful for you, to be so young and-"

A loud bang interrupts me as Tidus' bedroom door slams open. Yelping with shock, I instinctively jerk the sheets up to shield my cbest as a very, _very_ drunk older man stumbles in.

His dark hair is long and unkempt, giving him a savage appearance only heightened by his large bulging brown eyes and unshaven face. Panting heavily, his breath laboured by drink and the effort of holding himself upright, he clings to the doorframe with one hand and points to Tidus with the other.

"Y-you," he hiccups, seemingly inches away from collapsing, "you . . . ungra'eful . . . lyin' . . . sun'vabitch."

Tidus is already on his feet, his posture rigid with outrage. "Get the fuck out of my room, you drunken piece of _shit_!" he snarls, his fists clenched.

"I told y-you," the older man, who I instantly realize must be Sir Jecht, continues as if he didn't even hear Tidus. "Not to bring y-your . . . your lil' sluts 'round here no more."

Tidus spews forth language so colourful that I almost feel my hair withering in place.

Jecht's red-rimmed eyes sluggishly slide towards me, blinking furiously a few times to clear away the fog of inebriation. I squirm uncomfortably on the bed and pull the covers up higher so that only my head is visible.

His expression goes lax with some kind of revelation as he continues to stare at me.

"It can't be," he mumbles, completely ignoring his furious son. "Can't be. Lil' Yuna?"

Tidus immediately goes quiet. Biting and releasing my lower lip, and I shift awkwardly and force myself to keep eye contact.

"Hello, Sir Jecht."


End file.
